Gold foil text in center with gray text. Heart illustration as dot in I. Ombre orange background.

Hallmark began in 1910 when Joyce Clyde Hall started selling postcards. He had little money—not even enough to take a horse-drawn cab to his lodgings at the YMCA—but he had an entrepreneurial spirit and the determination of a pioneer. Hall quickly made a name for himself with the picture postcards he sold. Rollie Hall joined his brother in business, and the company was named Hall Brothers. On January 11, 1915, a fire destroyed their office and inventory. They took the only salvageable item, their safe, and set up shop again. With $17,000 in debt, they decided to press onward. As postcard sales declined, they recognized the public’s desire for more privacy in their communication, so they started offering high-quality Valentine’s Day and Christmas cards mailed in envelopes. The fateful fire resulted in the Hall brothers’ decision to buy printing presses and begin producing their own greeting cards in 1915. Hallmark eventually made the move to manufacture and sell collectable memorabilia including pin-back buttons, most of which revolve around holidays.

Saint Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a holiday observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not an official holiday in most of them. The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In eighteenth-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending hand-written cards.

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The Zion Lutheran Church was found in 1810 by a group of German immigrants who traveled across the Pennsylvania mountains and settled on the eastern territory which they believed to be the “promised land.” The little church located on this eastern territory would later be called “Zion,” forming the Zion Lutheran Church. The sun and the flower likely symbolize the promised land.

In Christian traditions, God’s Day is generally Sunday, when parishoners gather to celebrate and spread the word of God.

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This is a button to remind people to vote if they have not yet done so. 

Photograph of George Washington on left in green and brown with black text and white background on right.

"Let George Do It," was a radio program that ran from 1946 to 1954. The radio drama followed investigator George Valentine in his day to day life solving cases. While the series developed into a crime drama, it originally started off with a more sitcom format. The main character, Valentine, was played by Bob Bailey. Bailey would receive his most well known role after "Let George Do It" ended, when a year later he joined, "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". The series is known for its minimal sound effects, only using an orchestra during the early years. As the show progressed and the budget increased, eventually production included a whole orchestra.

George Washington was an American political leader who became the first President of the United States from 1789-1797. His face was later emblazened on stamps, coins, and dollar bill currency.

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“I’m One in a Million” is a popular phrase contributing to several recycling programs. One of the first recorded mentions of a million in the context of recycling is from the Recycle America program. In 1989, Waste Management Inc. improved their Recycle America program by partnering with the Du Pont Co.—one of the nation’s largest plastic producers—to add plastics to the items they could recycle. The program collected from 90 communities contributing to almost one million households.

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Illustration of a superhero smiling with a toothbrush and toothpaste in red and blue with black text on a white background.

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White smiley face and text on a red background

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 design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However, his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

The phrase, “I’m glad you were born!” is another way to express appreciation that a particular person exists and especially on that person’s birthday. This is also a phrase used by Pro-Life groups who are against abortion.