Illustration of a cartoon cat's head on a white background

Korky is a black male cat from the Korky the Cat comic strip. The comic follows Korky’s adventures as a cat who behaves like a human with his three nephews Nip, Rip and Lip. The comic was created by James Crighton and first appeared in The Dandy, a British children’s comic in 1937. After several different artists took over Korky the Cat, Korky was retired in 2005. Korky was then relaunched in 2010 with Phil Corbett as his new artist.

Black and white peace sign illustration

The peace sign was originally created in 1958 by Gerald Holtom for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Inspired partly by semaphore flag signals for "N" and "D" (Nuclear Disarmament), Holtom sketched the symbol several times in preparation for the upcoming protests. Afterward the symbol was adopted by the American Student Peace Union in the 1960s, it grew to become the iconic symbol that we know today. Holtom passed away in 1985, and his collection of sketches was donated to the Commonweal Collection at the University of Bradford.

Red text on a yellow background

On November 15, 1969 over 500,000 protestors convened on Washington D.C. to protest the Vietnam War. Marches up and down Pennsylvania Avenue took place throughout the protest, which lasted about three days, from Thursday, November 13th to Saturday the 15th. Protestors made anti-war chants, sung songs of peace, and held signs with the names of deceased U.S. troops or destroyed Vietnamese villages. While unsuccessful in ending the war, the march demonstrated the strong organizational power of the anti-war activists. 

Blue text on a white background

On October 22, 1963, a massive boycott took place within Chicago Public Schools to protest against segregation policies. More than 200,000 thousand students did not attend school that day, and tens of thousands of citizens participated in a march to the Chicago Board of Education office. The day became known as Freedom Day. Brown v. Board of Education, which prohibited segregation in schools, passed in 1954, but segregation was not legislated in Chicago until the 1980s.

Green and red text in the middle of an illustration of a wreath with green leaves and red berries on a white background

This holiday-themed button was most likely a promotional souvenir for the Chicago-based sporting goods store, Morrie Mages Sports. Alongside new and popular sporting goods, the store sold a combination of low-cost irregular sports equipment as well as "soon to be discontinued" merchandise. Apparently quite the character, Mages was known as "Chicago's Mr. Sporting Goods" and began his career at a young age hawking sports equipment alongside his father on Chicago's historical Maxwell Street in the 1930s. In 1968, he opened the first Morrie Mages Sports on Chicago Street, which eventually moved to LaSalle Street to become the flagship store after opening three additional stores in the suburbs of Arlington Heights and Woodridge. The year before his death in 1988, Mages sold his four stores to the larger Grand Rapids-based sporting goods chain, MC Sports. The following link is a holiday commericial for Morrie Mages Sports which ran locally in Chicago in 1986: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrE2EgDh4_I 

Red illustration of a heart on a pink background with white block letter text on top

Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day, while not an official public or religious holiday in any country, is recognized and celebrated annually on February 14th. Although the day is named for a Saint Valentine, the Catholic Church recognizes three Valentines who were martyred and it is unclear for which the day is named. One legend states that Valentine was a priest in third century Rome, who performed secret wedding ceremonies for young soldiers who were forbidden to marry. Other stories tell of a Valentine who was killed for helping Christian prisoners escape from being tortured. The day became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Today, Valentine's Day is recognized throughout the North and Latin America, Asia, and Europe, and is typically celebrated by giving chocolate, flowers, or cards bearing hearts on them to romantic partners. 

Green text outlined in black on a white background

The phrase “happy holidays” is a festive greeting typically used during the winter season. It has been a part of the United States vernacular from as early as the mid-1800s. The phrase was initially used in advertisements and was later embraced as a catch-all phrase for all winter holidays as a way to respect different religious faiths. Controversy has surrounded the phrase starting in the early 21st century as the conservative news outlets led some American Christian conservatives to believe that “happy holidays” was employed by a liberal campaign to censor Christianity and the Christmas holiday. Another way to say “happy holidays” is “season’s greetings.”

Red text on a white background

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.

Illustration of Westminster Abbey with black text with an outer bright orange/red outline on a white background

Westminster Abbey, formally known as the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster, was founded in 960AD in London, England. Although it still serves as a functioning church and holds worship services and events, it also houses tombs of passed kings and queens and memorials for notable British individuals. The abbey has been the setting for every royal Coronation since 1066 and has served as the venue for numerous royal weddings. Westminster Abbey is considered a Royal Peculiar, as it does not fall under the jurisdiction of any archbishop or bishop, but of the monarch directly. 

Black and white illustration of Obama made to look like the Mad Men television show logo with red and white text on a white background

Barack Obama was very successful in integrating his campaign with elements of pop culture. From his use of Snapchat in the White House to his video appearance with Buzzfeed, Obama regularly took advantage of non-traditional media to garner support and spread his message. This button takes advantage of the iconic opening intro of AMC’s television show Mad Men to appeal to voters familiar with the show, to support Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.  

Buzzfeed Video:https://youtu.be/Kn7Z7bvLhng

Snapchat: ​https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/01/barack-obama-snapchat-cleveland-hillary-clinton-rally