Illustration of a brown boat with gold sails shaped like numbers on a white background with an outer blue with white text

In 1997, the Newfoundland Historical Society hosted a six month long celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of John Cabot, who sailed from Bristol, England and landed in the region now known as Bonavista in Newfoundland in 1497.

The city of St. John’s hosted the Summit of the Sea, in which policy makers from around the world met to discuss environmental issues, as well as an international choral festival. Other events included a Northern Lights Festival,the Labrador 400 dog sled race, and the Labrador Winter Games.

Illustration of a horse and a cow on a yellow background above a ribbon with black text on it over illustrations of a pig, a sheep, more horses, a watermelon and other produce with a white outer edge with black text. It also has a red and a white ribbon attached at the bottom and a chain attaching a small brown pipe to the button

This pastoral design was repeated in souvenirs at various other events. Check out some other examples in our collection: State Fair of Texas, Souvenir of Fair Birmingham, Alabama, and Iowa State Fair.

Black text over an illustration of the United States with red and white stripes and Mount Rushmore on a white background

The founding of the United States as a nation is attributed to the year 1776. In 1976, the country celebrated its bicentennial, or 200th anniversary. To help celebrate this occasion, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota hosted a bicentennial event that lasted 111 days. It celebrated events local to the South Dakota area and nationally to the United States. Exhibits featuring wagon trains and the Freedom Trail were displayed to visitors. In addition, each state and territory in the country were celebrated in their own unique way, with each state getting two days to be featured.

Blue text over a yellow background

The Solidarity Day march of September 19, 1981 was a major political rally that took place in Washington D.C in support of organized labor, and specifically in support of the 12,000 air traffic controllers who were fired for going on strike a month earlier. The strikers demanded increased wages and safer working conditions, but because they were federal employees, they were barred from striking. President Ronald Reagan threatened to fire them if they did not return to work and when they refused, the President fired all of them.

While the air traffic controllers were on strike, their union officials had visited other unions to garner support. This led to the march in Washington D.C. on September 19, 1981 in which almost half a million people showed up in support, earning the name Solidarity Day as it was a show of organized labor.

Green text over an illustration of a town over green with white text on top

A Century of Progress was the theme of the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair. The fair featured numerous exhibitions and cultural displays, including a "midget village" which was advertised as being inhabited by sixty Lilliputians. The exhibition later expanded and was renamed "Midget City." Historically, the term midget was used to describe people with the medical condition dwarfism.

White text on a purple background with illustration of white stars

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Red text on a green star on a red circle with a green background

Rock Against Racism was a campaign that was first launched in the United Kingdom in 1976 in response to increased racial conflict, growing numbers of white nationalist groups, and racist statements made by well-known rock musicians in interviews or during concerts. Various pop, rock, punk and reggae musicians united to play concerts intended to prevent young music fans from becoming involved with racist groups or actions. Although initially created as a one-time event, multiple Rock Against Racism concerts were held throughout the late 1970's in the United Kingdom, featuring bands such as The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Buzzcocks. In 2002, the Rock Against Racism concert series was resurrected with new bands and renamed Love Music Hate Racism.

White text on an outer blue edge with blue text on a white circle with an illustration of ducks

The Kiwanis Duck Race is a charitable event that takes place every spring in Ottawa, Canada down the Rideau Canal. Participants can sponsor a duck by purchasing a $5 ticket and winners take home prizes. The race was first established in 1987 and it benefits the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Black text and an illustration of two dogs listening to a record and drinking coffee on a white background

A concept created during a gathering of independent record store owners in 2007, Record Store Day is now known as a celebration of independent records stores and the "unique culture" that surrounds them. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008 and is now celebrated annually by participating stores on every continent except for Antarctica. Usually marked by in-store concerts and special vinyl releases for purchase, the events are intended to bring together record store employees, patrons, and both small and large label artists. This button marks the 2014 Record Store Day event held by Criminal Records which is a locally owned and independently operated record store located in Atlanta, Georgia. The illustration appears to play off the iconic cover art for indie rock band Sonic Youth’s first major label album, Goo, which was released in 1990 and portrayed a mod couple wearing sunglasses and smoking cigarettes. The Criminal Records button illustration also contains the iconic image associated with legendary rap group Public Enemy which depicts the silhouette of a man caught in a crosshair. Interestingly, Chuck D. of Public Enemy famously lends his voice to the track "Kool Thing" on Sonic Youth's pivotal Goo album. The following link is footage of the Criminal Records 2014 Record Store Day event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL6ybnrX7gQ 

Red text over two flags on a white background

Some liturgical protestant churches choose to celebrate Rally Day to mark the beginning of the church calendar year, which usually comes at the end of September or the beginning of October. Churches celebrate Rally Day in various ways, but standard events and customs include handing bibles out to children, celebrating the graduation of Sunday school students from one grade to the next, welcoming new members into the church, and formally presenting church goals for the coming year. The word “rally” signifies that this day marks a time when all church members can come together and celebrate their shared beliefs, values and purpose.

The Christian flag, pictured here with the American flag, was created in the early 20th century and it is used all over the world by many different Christian groups. The colors of the flag are symbolic - the red cross represents the blood of Jesus and the white of the flag stands for the purity of Jesus Christ.