Blue, white and red illustration of a man in a long coat holding a large magnifying glass and wearing a red striped hat on a white background

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A busy bee is an idiom that refers to a person who is active or busy. 

In a bee colony, there are three castes: the queen bee, worker bees, and drone bees. Worker bees, the ones referred to as busy bees, have several duties to the hive including collect food, build the nest, clean cells, guard the hive, and build wax. They are the smallest in size.

Yellow, black and white illustration of a zebra on a white background with black text

Zebras are native to Africa and feed on grass and occasionally shrubs, twigs and leaves. There are three different species of zebra: plains, mountain and Grevy’s zebra. Zebras are generally thought to have a white coat with black stripes, but under their coats they have black skin. Zebras have their own unique patterns and no two are alike. When zebras are in a group their combined stripes make it hard for predators to single out a zebra to chase.

This button was a give-away button from American Pepsin Gum Company. Many gum manufactures in the late 1800's used pepsin powder in their chewing gum and marketed it as a way to aid in digestion.  Pepsin was thought to settle stomach issues and help people with digestive concerns.  

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Xerox Corporation is an American office technology company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Xerox started in 1906 as a photographic paper manufacturer and distributor before becoming the first manufacturer of plain paper copiers. In 1947, Xerox purchased the rights to technology known as xerography, a "dry" photocopying technique that uses no liquid chemicals. The first xerographic copier was introduced in 1959 with the company officially adopting Xerox as the corporation name in 1961. In the 1990s, Xerox created digital photocopiers, "bridging the gap" between paper and digital.

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Before social security in 1936, many Americans relied upon insurance for their old age. Some trusted fraternal orders and benevolent societies. Sometimes these societies grew to become full fledged insurance agencies. The United States Benevolent Society of Saginaw, Michigan, operated from 1891-1901. It was reinsured as the United States Health & Accident Insurance Company, specializing in industrial and railway work and accidents. USH&A reinsured in 1914 and taken over by the Massachusetts Bonding and Insurance Company.

Illustration of a Seagull over black text on a white background

Seagulls are medium sized sea birds that eat insects, plants, reptiles and amphibians. They often steal food from other birds, animals and people. Seagulls can drink salt water because they possess exocrine glands that excrete excess salt from their bodies through their nostrils. Seagulls are intelligent birds that have been known to use bread crumbs to attract fish and use their feet to produce sounds that attract earthworms.

This button was a give-away button from American Pepsin Gum Company. Many gum manufactures in the late 1800's used pepsin powder in their chewing gum and marketed it as a way to aid in digestion.  Pepsin was thought to settle stomach issues and help people with digestive concerns.  

Illustration of a yellow bus over yellow, orange and black text on a white background

Port Authority Transit (PAT) is the main public transportation facilitator of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and comes as a result of a 33 company merger in the 1950s-1960s. PAT ran its first busses on March 1, 1964. The Model Cities program was an urban aid initiative from the desk of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The intent was to revitalize the country’s poorest urban communities but the program met with much opposition. Philadelphia was the first city to participate in the program in 1967.

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Black text under an illustration of a person in a bathtub on a white background

Hassan Cigarettes were popular at the turn of the century and known for their cork tip. As an advertising campaign, several cartoonists were contracted to draw cartoon illustrations for popular phrases of the day such as, “Keep Out!” Some of the artists include Harry C. “Bud” Fisher of Mutt and Jeff cartoons, George McManus, Tom McNamara, and Rube Goldberg. Rube Goldberg (183-1970) was an American cartoonist and inventor who is best known for his cartoon depictions of impossibly complicated machines to accomplish simple mundane tasks. Goldberg is attributed with coining the phrase, “I’m the guy…” He is also the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as an adjective.

White text on a blue background with a yellow illustration of butter and an outer white edge

"It's better with butter" was the slogan of a 1942 ad campaign by the American Dairy Association. At that time, the United States had just joined World War II. Butter and fats were not yet rationed in the U.S., but they were often hard to get, thanks to rations on gas and tires and resulting limits on transportation.

The "better with butter" campaign sought to undermine these difficulties by appealing to homemakers' wartime patriotism. Ads referred to "nutrition defense" and described butter's role in maximizing "economy" meals. An ad in Life magazine advised readers that when they served nutritionally dense foods such as butter, they were "helping to win the war".

The "better with butter" ads disappeared at the end of 1942, when the U.S. experienced a serious shortage of butter and other fats. The next year, the government imposed rations on butter, fats, cooking oils, and other foods in support of the war effort. These would remain under ration until the end of 1945.

See vintage "better with butter" ads here and here.