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The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England was founded in 1852 and was named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It is the largest museum in the world, with a permanent collection of over 2 million objects. Some highlights of the museum include the Gothic iron screen from Hereford Cathedral, the Ardabil Carpet from Iran, a jade wine cup made by the builder of the Taj Mahal, and an 1857 cast of Michelangelo's sculpture of 'David'.

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Her Majesty’s Tower of London was established under William the Conqueror in 1066 as a way to keep hostile Londoners and foreigners away. The oldest portion, the White Tower, was built in 1080 and has become a well-known symbol of London. Currently, the Tower is home to the Crown Jewels, which were designed in 1660 for the coronation of Charles II and are still worn by the current monarchy.

In the early and late Middle Ages, the tower was used as a fortress and a prison. In 1554, Princess Elizabeth (who would later become Queen) was imprisoned there after being accused of conspiring against her sister, Queen Mary. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed at the tower in 1536, and in 1604, Guy Fawkes was executed after being implicated in an assassination attempt against King James I. It became a functioning prison again briefly during World War II when two high-profile Nazis, Josef Jakobs and Rudolph Hess, were captured in Great Britain.

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“I Have Seen the Future” was a traveling exhibition featuring work by designer Norman Bel Geddes. From June 27th through September 28th, 2014 the exhibit was on display at the Wolfsonian Museum at Florida International University.  It was developed by the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin and featured more than 200 never-before-seen items, including photographs, films, and drawings.

Bel Geddes was an urban planner as well as a costume, set, and industrial designer. He is well known for giving streamlined designs to everyday objects, such as furniture and vehicles, as well as buildings and roadways. He also is well known for his Futurama exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. This button is designed after a popular souvenir patrons of the Fair received after visiting the exhibit. For the history of the original souvenir button in the Button Museum collection, click here.

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In 1985, the Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau decided to revamp their campaign efforts to the tourist audience. They changed their name to the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau and advertised the new motto and design in consumer publications.  

Pittsburgh is a city in Pennsylvania. It is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers where their field, Heinz field, has been featured in movies like Concussion and The Dark Knight Rises. Other attractions include Mr. Roger’s Memorial Statue, Mount Washington (where you can find a great view of the whole city), Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Randyland, and the Children’s museum.

Black illustration of a building with a path leading up to its front door with trees, grass and bushes on an off white background

In 1901, New York was the host to the Pan-American Exposition (Pan-Am) World's Fair from May 1 through November 2 in Buffalo. The exposition was a reaffirmation of friendship and mutual interests and acted to showcase new technologies. Several buildings were built in preparation for this exposition and were painted and lit brightly using classical architecture with Spanish influences to inspire the exposition’s nickname, Rainbow City. This unique creation was the largest display of electricity in the United States powered by the power plants at Niagara Falls, New York. Pan-Am was particularly notable due to the assassination of President McKinley who was shot September 6th and died on the 14th. The exposition was shadowed after the assassination; however, Buffalo gained a prestigious reputation as an electricity hub and transportation network in the months and years after.

Illustration of Humpty Dumpty on a red brick wall with red text above and blue text below on a white background

Story Land is a Children’s Theme Park that was founded in 1954 in Glen, New Hampshire by a couple who wanted to bring storybook animals and characters to life. Humpty Dumpty, who is featured on the button, is one of the many stories brough to life in the theme part. From Cinderella’s Castle, Alice in Wonderland’s Tea Cups and Buccaneer Bay, to a Safari Ride and Moroccan Bazaar; Story Land has taken young children and their families to different parts of the world for over 60 years.

White text above and below a red and white illustration of a steamboat and a yellow sun on a blue background

The Natchez is New Orleans' only steamboat and is one of only two completely steam-powered sternwheelers on the Mississippi River today. The ninth steamboat to bear the name, the Natchez leaves the French Quarter for a daily two-hour jazz cruise with live music, food, and drinks. The Natchez has an authentic steam calliope onboard, a 32-note steam pipe organ. But this calliope has a modern performance twist, its plumes of steam, given off when one of its whistles is played, coincides with colored lights creating an audiovisual show.

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The circus was once the most popular form of entertainment in the world.  While the idea of being entertained by horses and other animals dates back to Roman times, the “modern” circus is attributed to Philip Astley. Astley was the first to set up an amphitheater where both horse riding tricks and acrobats could be conducted in the same space. The first circus building in the United States opened in Philadelphia in 1793. Joshua Purdy Brown was the first circus owner to utilize a large canvas tent as a performance arena in 1825. P.T. Barnum changed the way the circus would entertain by introducing a multi-ring center stage with various visual peculiarities and menageries.

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San Francisco has both cable cars and trolleys, which are also known as streetcars, and they both date back to the 19th century. The trolleys run along Market Street and they get their power from an electric motor that is attached to an overhead wire. Cable cars have a route along Powell, Hyde, and California Streets and they are pulled uphill via a cable wire that is underneath the car within the track. The cable cars are the more famous of the two since they have been featured in Hollywood movies such as "The Birds" and "The Rock".

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Immigrants from Luxembourg settled across the Midwest with large numbers in Chicago settling in the North and West sides of the city. Many were farmers, and Luxembourgers became known as the “glass house” people as they adopted greenhouses for their market gardens.

Peter Reinberg, “the rose and carnation king,” was the most famous of Luxembourger gardeners. He was born in Chicago in 1858. He excelled at growing roses and carnations, started a flower business at age 20, and became the largest rose grower in the world. Reinberg served as President of the Board of Education, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and was the first President of the Cook County Forest Preserve Commission. His legacy lives on in the Peter A. Reinberg Elementary School named after him.