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The Fraternal Order of Beavers was founded in 1911. Its members were white men, ages 16 to 55, who believed in a Supreme Being but otherwise did not question candidates religious, political or national background. The Order had 12,000 members in 53 lodges in the early 1920s, and was headquartered at the Liberty Building in Philadelphia.

The beaver is used as a symbol in this organization because it can change its surroundings and alter the course of nature to survive.  In this way, the organization seeks to “encourage motivation and persistence by honoring those same traits also found in the beaver.” The idea is that the organization can solve local, national, and global problems.

Black text next to a brown illustration of a squirrel holding a nut on an off white background with an outer brown edge

The expression “nuts to you” dates to the 1930s and was commonly used as a derisive retort or dismissal. Perhaps due to the anatomical connotation for the word “nuts,” the phrase was singled out by the Hays Office as being too profane for cinema after its inclusion in the 1940 film The Bank Dick. The Hays Office, or Production Code Administration, was a morality enforcement office created in 1934 through an agreement with major film studios, meant to regulate and censor content in films. This office predated the film rating system we know now and required studios to get their seal of approval on any film before the final cut made it to theaters. On this phrase, their order was brief: “Please eliminate the expression ‘nuts to you.’”

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"Who's Zoomin' Who?" is the title of American singer Aretha Franklin’s 33rd studio album. It was released by Arista Records in 1985 and was Ms. Franklin’s first certified Platinum album. The phrase “Who’s Zoomin Who?” means a type of flirtation where one person is scoping or checking out another person, unaware that they are also being analyzed. 

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Born in 1948, Eddy Grant is a Guyanese-British musician, best known for his 1983 hit, “Electric Avenue,” and introducing the Caribbean fusion genre “ringbang” in 1994. Grant was also a founding member of “The Equals,” the first interracial pop music group in the United Kingdom. “My Turn to Love You” is one of Grant’s singles with the record company Epic Records from 1980.

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Otto, a gorilla that lived in the Lincoln Park Zoo, is famous for his 1982 escape from the zoo’s Gorilla Troop House. The escape was aided by the negligence of an employee who mistakenly locked the gorilla outside of his enclosure. Otto climbed an 11-foot wall leading outside but was quickly found, tranquilized, and recovered on the roof. The zookeepers reported that it appeared he was taking in the sights of the city.

Otto led an interesting life, with his time in Chicago beginning in the mid-1960’s as a gift from the government of Cameroon and was named after previous Illinois Governor Otto Kerner. In 1977, he became the star of the PBS documentary Otto: Zoo Gorilla to highlight the new Gorilla Troop Enclosure built by the zoo. In 1988 Otto passed away from a heart attack ending his lengthy run as King of the Gorilla Troop of Lincoln Park Zoo. Through their successful captivity breeding program were able to help Otto sire eleven offspring. 

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The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was established in 1910 in a push by the British to increase the overall naval strength of their overseas territories and colonies. At the time, Germany and the United Kingdom were embroiled in a naval arms race, one of the major factors in the significant rise of tensions among the European powers before the onset of the First World War. Since then the Royal Canadian Navy has gone on to serve in both world wars and as an important member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization during the Cold War. In 1985, the RCN celebrated its 75th anniversary with a year-long series of radio and television specials, traveling exhibitions, and even two books were published. 

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Birthday pin-backs are traditionally worn by the birthday person themself or given as favors to guests. This button switches things up and wishes onlookers a happy birthday.

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The Phantom of the Opera musical is based on the French novel Le Fantome de l’Opera by Gaston Leroux. The musical was developed by Andrew Lloyd Webber while Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe created the lyrics. The musical revolves around the Phantom’s obsession with a female soprano all while hiding his disfigurement behind a white mask. The white mask is the most well-known and iconic image for the musical. The musical opened in London’s West End in 1986 and continues to play in London and New York.

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Having tonsils removed, or tonsillectomies, were common procedures for children in the United States from the 1950s through the 1970s with over a million being performed each year. This process has since seen a major decline and is no longer a standard procedure.

In March 1895, the Burnham City Hospital opened its doors to the residents of Champaign, Illinois. The idea of building a hospital was first pitched by a group of 35 women belonging to the Woman’s Social and Political Science Club. Efforts were spearheaded by Julia Burnham, the well-to-do wife of a local attorney and banker. She made an initial contribution of $10,000, which laid the financial groundwork for the nascent hospital. Burnham was hands-on with the construction process, but did not live to see the opening. She died in New York City at the age of 55, just two months after the hospital’s cornerstone ceremony.

To ensure the success of the hospital, local organizations donated various supplies. The Western Star Lodge furnished the reception room, the Catholic Young Ladies gave books and clothes, and the Urbana Lodge donated private rooms. The ventilation system was considered state-of-the-art, and the building was piped and wired for gas and electricity. An adjacent nursing school was also established in 1902 to train prospective healthcare professionals. Approximately 820 nurses have graduated from the school since its inception.

More than half a century later, the Burnham City Hospital was reconstructed in a piecemeal fashion to update the infrastructure. In spite of this tune-up, the hospital was considered a financial burden to Champaign County and was closed in the 1990s. Today, the site is home to a residential tower and grocery store.

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Memory work in this case likely refers to the memorization of Bible verses and Christian worship hymns, which is an important component in many Sunday school curriculums. For example, the Children’s Memory Work was developed by the Presbyterian Church in 1963, and has since gained popularity in many churches. Under its program, children learn to memorize up to 120 Bible verses, 145 Catechism answers, and other important Christian tenets such as The Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments.