Amtrak Ride the Turbo

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Text on Button RIDE THE TURBO! AMTRAK 1975
Image Description

Color illustration of an Amtrak train on a light blue background with white text above and below

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The Turbo or Turboliner was the name of a train offered by Amtrak in the 1970’s. The slogan “Ride the Turbo” as seen on this button was a promotional saying used by Amtrak. The first Turboliners in the United States were French built and called RTL’s. The trains could pick up speed to 170 miles per hour. The Turbo, a gas powered train, was eventually taken off the tracks in 1981 due to its high cost to run. 

Sources

Ornstein, J. (2024, May 16). TurboTrain: One of the Biggest Scams of American Railroading!. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmByifbD420 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2024b, November 14). Turboliner. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboliner 

Catalog ID AD1136

I Met Le Pac

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Text on Button I MET Le Pac LIBRARY AUTOMATION by Brodart
Image Description

Black text on a silver-gray background with an illustration of mustachioed man in a beret on the right a pattern of horizontal lines around the top and left sides. 

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Le Pac (short for local Public Access Catalog) was a library catalog product developed by the Brodart Company. Le Pac allowed users to perform complex searches of up to a million MARC records. Earlier versions of Le Pac contained its database on CD-ROM, while later versions could be accessed by CD or through the internet.

Sources

American Library Association. (1990). Le Pac and circulation. Library Systems Newsletter 10 (9), 76-77.

Library Automation Update: CD ROM Technology Prominent in New Products and Services. (1986, April). American Libraries, 17(4), 248-250.

Catalog ID AD1135

Ssshhicago

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Text on Button SSSHHICAGO
Image Description

Black text on a bright green background

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“Ssshhicago” was an official nickname given to the 1971 Chicago Noise Ordinance, a piece of legislation intended to reduce noise pollution in the city. The law was primarily directed at curbing noise from motor vehicles and factories, although investigations were made into complaints of noise from a wide variety of sources, including air conditioners, church bells, lawn mowers, and musical instruments to name a few.

Sources

Informatics Inc. (1972). Noise Facts Digest. US Environmental Protection Agency.

Catalog ID CH0317

You're Blind as a Bat

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Text on Button YOU'RE BLIND AS A
Image Description

Black text above an illustration of a black bat on a white background with a red rim

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This button, while humorous, isn’t fully grounded in scientific fact. The myth of bats being blind is an inaccurate as is the idea that goldfish have three-second memories. Contrary to popular belief, most bats do use their eyesight alongside echolocation during flight. And fruit bats don’t use echolocation at all! Instead, they rely fully on their vision and sense of smell to find fruit. In fact, bats are thought to have better eyesight than most humans!

All this to say: bats get a bad rap, and not all expressions humans use are accurate!

Sources

Myth Busting “Blind As A Bat” And “Memory Of A Goldfish” : Short Wave. (n.d.). NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2020/01/08/794625042/myth-busting-blind-as-a-bat-and-memory-of-a-goldfish

Why being “blind as a bat” is a myth. (2024). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/video/why-being-blind-as-a-bat-is-a-myth-video/-309642

Catalog ID IB0992

Zeppelin and Green Clouds

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Text on Button ZEPS
Image Description

Illustration of a white zeppelin and seafoam green clouds on a dark blue background with red text on the bottom of the button

Back Paper / Back Info

DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING CO.
ELGIN
CHICAGO
NEW YORK

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Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917)—inventor of the Zeppelin, known colloquially as “Zeps”—flew his first airship, LZ 1, in 1900. Originally a German general, Zeppelin revolutionized air travel in the early 20th century. Zeppelin’s airships were originally for civilian use, and the first commercial passenger service was established in 1908. Passengers sat in gondolas hung underneath the hydrogen filled balloons of the airships, where they could witness beautiful views. The German armed forces, however, used zeppelins throughout WWI, each with the capacity to store up to two tons of bombs. Certainly, this provided a different kind of “view” which is explored here; this button features a Zeppelin flying amongst green clouds, which may serve as a symbol of war chemicals and bombings. 

By the end of WWI, Zeppelin military use had fallen out of favor due to the airships’ vulnerability to airstrikes and explosives; upon impact with the hydrogen-filled balloons, the airships would catch fire and crash. The most famous example of this can be seen with the Hindenburg disaster on May 6th, 1937, a Zeppelin which caught fire and crashed in New Jersey, killing 26 people.

Sources
Catalog ID AR0505

Crayola Drawing Club

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Text on Button CRAYOLA DRAWING CLUB
Image Description

Black text on a white background surrounding an illustration of a yellow half-circle sun with mutli-colored Crayola crayons interspersed with the yellow illustrated sun rays

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BASTIAN BROS. CO.
MFR'S OF
RIBBON METAL
AND
[union bug]
CELLULOID
NOVELTIES
ROCHESTER, N.Y.

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The Crayola Drawing Club was operated by Binney & Smith Co., known today as Crayola LLC, and held periodic drawing contests which children were encouraged to enter. Membership to the club required sending in a specific flap from the packaging of a Crayola product as proof of purchase. In exchange, children would receive a membership certificate and a pin like this one. Prizes for winning drawings included crayola products, seasonal items, or cash prizes.

Sources

eBay. (n.d.)., 1931 BINNEY SMITH CO CRAYOLA RAWING CLUB CONTEXT TOY SALES ART AD. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/324329610657138426/?mt=login

savagesalesofmaine. (2025). Crayola Binney & Smith Winter Sport Contest 1933 Advertisement Crayons DWKK12. eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/186861238064 

Binney & Smith Co. (1934, November) "Spanky" MacFarland says" "Okie-Dokie, Kids- Get in on this CRAYOLA DRAWING CONTEST" [Advertisement]. Tower Radio, 2(2), 66.

Catalog ID CL0711