Ricordo de la Festa Nazionale

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Text on Button RICORDO DE LA FESTA NAZIONALE 1920 LA ITALIA REUNITE
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Black text on a white background with a color illustration of the flags of Italy and the United States attached to crossed yellow flag poles

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[sticker: 70]

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Catalog ID EV0971

Swift's Golden Neck Layer

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Text on Button Swift's Golden Neck Layer
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Yellow background with black text on the top above a large black and white illustration of a chicken in between two large baskets filled with eggs

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[sticker: 161]

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Swift Hatchery did business in Iowa in the 1940s and 1950s. In a 1949 newspaper ad, the chicks "Husky, Hearty, and Healthy" are proud to present “Swift’s Golden Neck Layer.” The breed was being offered in Iowa for the first time, and was described as a golden opportunity for poultry raisers! [emphasis taken from ad]

Sources

Swift’s Golden Neck Layer. (1949 January 20). The Algona Upper Des Moines (Algona, Iowa). p. 14.

Catalog ID AD1094

Nuke the Whales

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Text on Button NUKE THE WHALES
Image Description

Red background with an illustration of green waves and a white mushroom cloud; green text is overlaid over the illustration. 

Curl Text CBC Box 521 Santa Cruz, CA 95061
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In November 1970, the community of Florence, Oregon faced a problem: a dead sperm whale, eight tons heavy and forty-five feet long, had washed up on the beach shore and was decomposing. The Oregon State Highway Division considered multiple options, but decided that using dynamite to vaporize the whale would be the correct course of action. Unfortunately, for the community and the spectators who came to witness the event, not enough explosives were used, resulting in an eruption of whale blubber and viscera landing in the area, even crushing a car. As no one was injured, the event became a humorous misstep that may have been the inspiration for cultural references such as in an episode of the television show The Simpsons and whose anniversary prompts interviews with the reporter who was present, reporting the case, and caught the footage for the news. 

Sources

Carlson, L. (n.d.). Florence Whale Explosion. Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/florence_whale_explosion/

FROM THE ARCHIVES The Exploding Whale Of Florence, Oregon : ABC7 News Bay Area : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). https://archive.org/details/from-the-archives-the-exploding-whale-of-fl…

Catalog ID IB0852

Fight Racism Overturn Bakke

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Text on Button FIGHT RACISM! OVERTURN BAKKE
Image Description

Background is divided in half with  brown on the top and yellow on the bottom, with yellow and brown text

Curl Text union bug
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In the Bakke decision of 1978 the United States Supreme Court ruled that while racial quotas were not constitutional, consideration of an applicant’s race was constitutionally allowed on college applications.

Allan Bakke brought his case against the University of California Davis because he was denied admission to their medical school due to what he called “reverse discrimination.” At the time, UC Davis had a policy of reserving 16% of their admissions for minority students. The court ruled that while race could be a consideration on a college application, it was unconstitutional to set an exact number of slots. With the ruling, precedence was set to uphold affirmative action in future cases.

Sources

Bakke decision. (n.d.). Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Bakke-decision

When the Supreme Court first ruled on affirmative action. (n.d.). National Constitution Center. Retrieved from https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/when-the-supreme-court-first-ruled-on-affirmative-action

Catalog ID CA0925

McGovern Our Next President

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Text on Button GEORGE McGOVERN 72
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Button is white on the top half and blue on the bottom half with blue text on white and white text on blue; a large, red illustration of McGovern's face is overlaid on the right-hand side. The button is attached to a red, white, and blue ribbon with blue text that reads "OUR NEXT PRESIDENT."

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[sticker: 80]

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Catalog ID PO1267

Downers Grove Centennial

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Text on Button DOWNERS GROVE CENTENNIAL 1832-1932 GEORGE WASHINGTON 1732
Image Description

Color illustrated portrait of George Washington in the center surrounded by two US flags on the bottom and laurel on the top. Above the laurel is black text on a white background; below the flags is a banner with black text on a light brown background. A faded red, white, and blue ribbon is attached to the button and a brass badge with black text reading "OFFICIAL" is attached to the top of the ribbon. 

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Geraghty & Co. Chicago, U.S.A. [union bug]

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Catalog ID EV0970

Paint Your Wagon Salute

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Text on Button PAINT YOUR WAGON peter max ©
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Slightly colorized photograph of a naked woman giving a salute on an off-white background with banners of bold text on a striped background strategically place to cover her chest and pelvic region; the image as a whole is evocative of art nouveau graphic design.

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This is one of a series of six buttons designed by Peter Max to promote the 1969 movie Paint Your Wagon. The film is a western musical starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg. It was adapted from a Broadway show with the same title and cost $20 million to make, which was a large budget for film production at the time. The movie received negative reviews, and the costs were never recouped.

Peter Max is a graphic artist know for his use of psychedelic shapes and bold color palettes.

Click here to view another button from the series

Catalog ID EN0666

My Dog's Better

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Text on Button MY DOG'S BETTER ®
Image Description

Illustration of a yellow dog with a dark blue nose and bright red tongue above yellow text on a dark blue background

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Ken-L Ration was the first canned dog food in the United States, started by the Chappel brothers in 1922. They proudly advertised it as horse meat, which was cheap and widely available at the time. Fido, the yellow dog, was a popular mascot. Many are still familiar with their popular jingle, “My dog’s better than your dog!”

Catalog ID IB0850

Kalimera

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Text on Button KALIMERA
Image Description

Neon yellow background with black text above a black smiley 

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The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes, and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It was designed in 1963 by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The word written above the face, “Kalimera,” means “good morning” in the Greek language.

Sources

Regula, Detraci. (2020, June 1). How to Say Good Morning in Greek. tripsavvy.com. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://www.tripsavvy.com/kalimera-good-morning-in-greece-1525966

About Harvey Ball. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://www.worldsmileday.com/index.php/article-index/item/380-about-ha…

Catalog ID SM0208

Dakota States Society

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Text on Button DAKOTA STATES SOCIETY MEMBER 52-53
Image Description

Green outer band with yellow text and a yellow center with green text and a thin yellow line around the outer rim

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[sticker: 74]

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Catalog ID CL0686