The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is the official emblem and insignia of the United States Marine Corps. It is commonly referred to as an EGA, although this verbiage is officially discouraged by the U.S. Marine Corps. The current emblem traces its roots in the designs and ornaments of the early Continental Marines as well as the United Kingdom's Royal Marines.[citation needed] The present emblem, adopted in 1955, differs from the emblem of 1868 only by a change in the eagle.