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On May 7, 1992 Former Soviet Premier Michael Gorbachev visited Chicago’s Mercantile Exchange to take a tour of its facilities due to his daughter being considered as an intern for the institution. 

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Football and baseball star Bruce Caldwell began a lengthy sports career as a halfback for Yale’s football team. At the beginning of the 1927 season he was the sixth-string halfback but by the end of the season he had been ranked All-American, gaining him much favor from his fans. After proof came out on November 8, 1927 that Caldwell had played football for Brown University before attending Yale, regulations barred him from playing for Yale’s team. Fans upset at the loss of a great player began to wear memorabilia to show their support for Caldwell. 

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Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States from 1849-1850 but became a national figure after years of distinguished service in the U.S. Military. After graduating from West Point military academy in 1808, Taylor saw service in the War of 1812, the Mississippi War, the Blackhawk War, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican-American War. These conflicts all helped to grow his popularity among voters especially after his successful repulsion of a much larger Mexican Army at the Battle of Buena Vista. As the war came to an end, the Whig Party tapped Taylor to lead their ticket in the 1848 Presidential Election. He secured his victory and took office but only held it for one year after succumbing to an unknown digestive disease he received from food served at a fundraising event in the Capitol. 

This button is part of a set of 31 that were issued as premiums in Cracker Jack.

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Ulysses S. Grant was President of the United States and by the end of the Civil War Lieutenant General of the Union Army. He served from 1839-1854 as an Officer in the U.S. Military, earning valor in the Mexican-American War, but became a national figure with his service from 1861-1869 as part of the Union Army. During the Civil War, Grant was instrumental in the Capture of Vicksburg and later through repeated assaults on Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s troops was able to force an unconditional surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. These victories catapulted him to the White House where Grant served as the 18th President from 1869-1877. Grant’s Presidency was marred by the slow Reconstruction process of the Southern states. However, his crowning political achievement was the ratification of the 15th amendment that guaranteed federal protection for non-whites to have the right to vote in elections regardless of color, race, or previous condition of servitude. 

This button is part of a set of 31 that were issued as premiums in Cracker Jack.

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James Buchanan was born in 1791 in Pennsylvania, graduating from Dickinson College in 1809. After being admitted to the bar in 1812, Buchanan gained success and wealth in his profession and  through investments.He gradually sought more political involvement as a U.S. Senator and later, Secretary of State in President James Polk’s cabinet.

A member of the Democratic Party, Buchanan became the fifteenth president of the United States, serving prior to the Civil War from 1857-1861. Buchanan has the distinction of being the only bachelor president as well as the only president from Pennsylvania. Buchanan is likely remembered most for his failure to prevent the secession of the Southern states and his subsequent mishandling of the North and South conflict i

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The German Shepherd was originally used for herding sheep in Germany but the breed’s intelligence, agility, and other desirable qualities has led to a prominent role working with police/military and for those in need of a guide dog. This working dog’s popularity increased in the United States in the 1900s with canine star Rin-Tin-Tin but faced adversity after World War II and anti-German sentiments. The breed remains popular today, ranking as the second most registered breed of nearly 200 dog breeds, according to the American Kennel Club.

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George Washington, was a general in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) before becoming the first president of the United States in 1789. Known as a Founding Father, Washington helped establish independence from Britain and the creation of a government for the new nation. Washington served two terms as President, careful to establish a standard of integrity for his successors of a government ruled by the people. Washington retired to Mount Vernon, his Virginia plantation, which remains a national landmark today. Washington is memorialized in many landmarks across the country including the nation’s capital, “Washington, D.C.”, as well as the U.S. dollar bill and quarter.

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The Contractors’ Furniture and Carpet Co. was in operation from the late 1940s through the 1950s in District 5 of Chicago, IL. Contractors’ issued several advertising campaigns using pocket-sized measuring tapes, some of which featured popular drink recipes.

Measuring tapes with centimeter and inch markings were developed in the 1820s. Prior to this development, tailors would use a strip of paper unique to each customer with a coded system of notches made into the paper to indicate the person’s measurements. Since the notch system was not codified, each tailor had their own individual code. The introduction of marked fabric measuring tapes allowed for standardized drafts to be made for garments such as a basic shirt.

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North West Federal Bank opened on January 1, 1925 in Chicago, in the area now known as Portage Park. The bank closed on February 20, 1982, in a major merger with LaSalle Bank N.A. In 2007, LaSalle Bank N.A. merged with Bank of America. North West Federal Bank's slogan in 1977 was, “A sound place to save." They advertised being open 63 hours a week.

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