Red, white and blue horizontal stripes.  Blue text inside white stripe.

Adlai Stevenson II was an important Democrat in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. He was a diplomat and helped found the United Nations, serving as the top delegate for the United States. He was elected in 1948 as the Governor of Illinois and won by a large majority.

Stevenson was the Democratic candidate for both the 1952 and 1956 presidential race. Unfortunately for Stevenson, both times he lost to wartime hero Dwight Eisenhower. Stevenson would try one more time to secure the nomination in 1960. This time around, he lost in the primaries to John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy was elected, he placed Stevenson in his cabinet and made him the U.S. representative in the U.N. Stevenson would hold this position until his death in 1965.

Button is divided in half.  Lower half if photograph of 3 houses, upper half is blue with inset photographs of Dwight D. and Mamie Eisenhower and illustrations of Pennsylvanian state seal and coat of arms.

Eisenhower National Historic Site is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This is the home and farm of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie Eisenhower which is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield from the Civil War. Eisenhower visited this battlefield with his West Point class in 1915 and purchased his home there after he retired from the military. Daily tours are offered of the house and grounds.

Blue and white illustration of an airplane with blue text above and below on a white background

In the 1960s, Pan-Am approached Boeing to build a 400-seat plane, which became the 747. The first Boeing 747 was originally scheduled to take off on January 21, 1970, from John F Kennedy airport in New York. Due to issues with a door, cargo loading, and engines, the plane had to return to the terminal after taxiing to the runway with its 336 passengers. A substitute 747 arrived at JFK and successfully completed the flight to London Heathrow.

Blue text and white background. Illustration of Speedee the Hamburger

Beginning in 1955, the McDonald’s Corporation has grown to become the foremost fast-food chain on the planet, currently operating over 36,000 stores across the globe and raking in around $25 billion in profit in 2016 alone. As of 1958, the chain was operating 34 restaurants across the United States and was on a path of rapid growth. McDonald’s quickly became famous for its prompt service and focused menu. It’s first mascot Speedee became the face of the company until the Golden Arches and Ronald McDonald designs were copyrighted in 1962.  

Black and white photograph of a man with white hair and beard in a circle with an off-white ring around it with black text on a gold background with a red, white and blue ribbon illustration

While Lyman Warren Ayer’s gravestone claims he was the first white child born in the territory that would become Minnesota, it is unclear whether that is true. However, he is widely believed to be at least one of the first white children born in the territory. Sources agree he was born at a Native American mission near Pokegamo Lake, but the year of his birth varies from 1832 to 1834. Ayer was a school teacher and lumberman, and he served in the Second Minnesota Battery of Light Artillery during the United States Civil War. He married Laura Hill, and they had two daughters, Ina and Agnes. He died of heart trouble in 1920.

Pine City is a rural town in east central Minnesota near where Ayers was born.

Illustration of an army nurse in blue with a wide brim hat in a white circle on a black background with a ribbon across the bottom with blue text on it.

The United States Congress established the Army Nurse Corps in 1901 after contracting nurses during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The Navy Nurse Corps was created in 1908. When the U.S. joined World War I in 1917, 403 army nurses and 160 navy nurses were on active duty. During the country's participation in the war from 1917 through 1918, the military recruited more than 22,000 nurses for military and navy duty. Hundreds of nurses lost their lives while in service. Army Nurses Day 1919, the first year after WWI, celebrated the women’s contributions.

Blue text on an orange background

Modern Times, the last of Charlie Chaplin's films to star his famous "Little Tramp" character, was released in 1936 as a comedic commentary on the effects of the Great Depression. Chaplin felt strongly that the rising implementation of industrial processes were directly responsible for the high unemployment rates of the time and he expressed these views satirically throughout the picture. In what might have been another attempt to take a jab at modern technology, Chaplin decided to forgo any real talking in the film even though talking pictures had already been in continuous production since 1927. He also felt that the silent pantomime style of comedy that made his "Tramp" character so famous should remain intact for the character's final film appearance. The only human voices to be heard during the film are when they are being emitted from various technological devices (such as a phonograph), in some sound effects, and when Chaplin momentarily sings in faux-Italian babble in one of the movie's final scenes. 

Orange text on a yellow background

After the FDA released the first birth control pill Enovid in 1960, a sexual revolution swept through American culture that began in the sixties and is still continuing to this day. Women now had control over when they could become pregnant making pre-marital sex less taboo. Throughout the sixties and later decades, American culture began to be more accepting of a sexualized culture. However, many religious and conservative groups opposed the new sexual liberties many were taking and formed a counter-culture of organizations that stressed remaining abstinent until marriage and abhorred promiscuity. 

Illustration of a skeleton wearing a blue black coat and red bow tie on an orange background

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Illustration of five characters with various sports equipment (basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, football) on a white, yellow, and orange background with an outer blue edge with green stars and blue text

Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! reading program was established in 1984 after President Ronald Reagan asked corporations to get involved in education. The program rewards elementary students’ reading accomplishments with certificates and pizza.The first BOOK IT! button debuted in 1985.  Each year the program reaches millions of elementary school students. 

For this sports-themed 1990s-era button, kids collected stickers to fill in the cartoon medals for books read.