Black text around the outer edge with an illustration of Santa driving with a car with the back full of presents and a Christmas tee on a white backgroun

Municipal Trees gained popularity in the United States during the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) in part as a philanthropic effort to bring together people of different classes in the community through one central community Christmas Tree. The 1910s saw several cities adopt Municipal Trees and citywide tree lighting ceremonies in their town squares, including New York City, Boston, and Chicago. Municipal Trees and other similar charitable organizations took up philanthropic efforts to ensure that the children of lower-income families were able to experience the magic of the holiday season, by establishing Public Christmas Trees and other funding for holiday meals and Christmas gifts. 

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In 1940, Natalie Wales Latham of New York City founded the Bundles for Britain in association with the British War Relief Society. Latham's charity organization provided knitted goods, such as socks, gloves, hats, sweaters, and scarves, to war ravaged parts of Britain. By 1941, they had expanded to 975 branches and were shipping not only clothing, but surgical instruments, medicines, cots, and blankets. Fundraising efforts included live radio broadcasts featuring popular stars like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. In January 1942, after the decision to become an American organization, they officially became the Bundles for Blue Jackets, with their headquarters in Texas. 

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The American Political Items Collectors (APIC) is a non-profit membership organization that promotes the collection, preservation, and study of political campaigns and presidency materials. The organization was founded in 1945 and holds a national convention every two years for collectors and the general public. The Mason Dixon Chapter is one of 20 geographical chapters of the APIC. Twelve specialty chapters also exist within the APIC including Locals, FDR  & Democrats, Republican, Pop Culture, and Women's Suffrage.

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The Merkel Motor Co. was established by Joseph Merkel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1902. Merkel's motorcycle company came out with the spring frame motorcycle in 1906 and then patented the spring front fork which became popular among other motorcycle producers. Merkel also developed the monoshock rear suspension which is used on modern motorcycles, and pioneered the throttle-controlled engine oiler before brands like Harley and Indian.

The Flying Merkel motorcycle was manufactured from 1911 to 1914 and displayed a trademarked light on the body of the motorcycle. It is also recognizable by it's color, which was a shiny bright orange. The iconic orange color paint has been labeled "Merkel orange". A Flying Merkel from 1911 sold at auction in 2011 for over $200,000.

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In 1992, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Larry Bird, professional basketball players of the NBA, starred in a commercial advertising a “bet” that Adbul Jabbar made with Bird. The “Ups the Bet” phrase was based on the Lay’s potato chips slogan that a person can’t eat just one chip without wanting to eat more.  The slogan “Betcha can’t eat just one” has been used to market the snack food since the 1960s.

Green clover with white text on it and green text underneath on a white background

Richard J. Daley was elected for his fifth consecutive term in 1975 and held the office of Mayor of Chicago for over 20 years. The shamrock on the button reflects Daley’s Irish heritage as well as the majority ethnic group of his neighborhood of Bridgeport.  Daley’s eldest son would go on to be elected Mayor of Chicago as well from 1989 to 2011 forging another Daley dynasty. 

Black and white stripes with music notes and red and white text on a yellow background with an illustration of a mouth with its tongue sticking out and black text

The Rolling Stones is a British rock band that formed in 1962. The iconic Rolling Stones logo, "Tongue and Lip Design," was created by John Pasche in 1971. Still active as of 2024, current band members include Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood. Drummer Charlie Watts passed away in 2021. The Rolling Stones are estimated to have sold over 250 million records over the years. The band was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame.

Black and white photograph of Elvis' head on a white circle with black text on a gold background

Elvis Presley recorded “Don’t Be Cruel,” written by Otis Blackwell, in 1956. During the recording session for “Don’t Be Cruel,” Presley also recorded “Hound Dog” and “Any Way You Want Me.” “Don’t Be Cruel” was released as a single with “Hound Dog” on the B-side of the record. By the end of 1956 more than four million copies were sold. In 2002 “Don’t Be Cruel” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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The song “California Uber Alles” by the band Dead Kennedys became famous for its criticism of then Governor Jerry Brown (D-California) depicting him as a corrupt leader of an imaginary ‘hippie-fascist’ version of America. With references to Julius Caesar and George Orwell’s 1984 the song presents a scathing indictment of the complacent mentality embraced by former activists in post-Vietnam America. The song has been re-made several times to reflect contemporary political views for varying elections such as the 1980 election of Reagan and the 2004 California Recall Election.  

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jerry-browns-worst-enemy

Red and blue text around the outer edge with a red and blue illustration of a man with a red nose and cheeks, drinking from a blue bottle while writing on paper on a desk on a white background

“Work is the curse of the drinking classes” is a quote famously uttered by Irish playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde. It is a humorous twist on the old saying “drink is the curse of the working class,” which was typically uttered by the upper classes to explain why the poor failed to climb up the socio-economic ladder. This quote captures a common sentiment that British aristocrats held about the working class, which was that they failed to improve their lot because they indulged too much. Ironically, Wilde believed that the rich were the ones doing the indulging and that their looking down their noses at the lower classes was awfully self-righteous. As Wilde saw it, work was a nuisance that seemed to be getting in the way of aristocrats’ regular drinking habit.