Alpha is the first Greek letter. It is old and very culturally influential. The symbol began in the Phoenician aleph, borrowed by Phoenician "Aleph", which means "ox". The letter has been a representation of abundance and strength for millennia. When the Greeks adopted the symbol in the 8th century BCE, they reinterpreted the meaning so that it would represent the vowel sound /a/, not a stop between words. This was the change that finally determined the direction of writing. Alpha is also a symbol for beginning and leadership. It is used to indicate the beginning of a process or a journey.

Its shape in the very first Greek writing was an approximate outline and from point to point. The shape of the letter developed and stabilised over time. When the Romans took over the Greek alphabet, the shape of alpha did not change much. It is this that evolved into the Latin alphabet letter A and which has been adopted today by so many languages on this planet. Alpha is also found in maths and science where it is used to represent constants and angles.

Its minimalism and simplicity are reasons why it's being used in so many domains. Though it is among the earliest symbols ever inscribed on paper, alpha finds application in both day-to-day application as well as academic application. Alpha is simple but it has carried its traditional value for thousands of years with ease.