Black and white photograph of a man holding a baseball bat with a white banner above and below with black text

Ted Williams was a Major League Baseball player from 1939-1960. Williams spent his entire professional career with the Boston Red Sox, where he played left field. He did not play during the 1943-1945 seasons, however, due to his World War II service as a Marine combat pilot. Williams was again called into active duty during the Korean War, limiting his playing time during the 1952 and 1953 seasons.

Known as "Teddy Ballgame" and the "Splendid Splinter," Williams finished the 1941 season with a .406 batting average, making him the last player to end a season batting over .400. Such feats led to Williams' induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, officially recognizing him as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. 

Williams died on July 5, 2002 at the age of 83. According to a handwritten note and the word of two of his three children, after he died, Williams wanted his body to be cryogenically preserved. As per this request, Williams' body and head are currently being stored at a facility in Scottsdale, Arizona in steel cases filled with liquid nitrogen. The procedure took place despite protests from his eldest daughter who maintains that Williams wanted to be cremated.

Image of a baseball with crossed bats and baseball at the top with blue text underneath

The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro league baseball team that played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948.  The team was founded in Harlem, New York as the Harlem Black Bombers in 1931 by famous dancer and Hollywood actor, Bill Robinson and financier, James Semier. The team changed their name to Black Yankees in 1936.  Throughout most of their career as a team, the Black Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium except in 1938 and 1948, when home games were played at Triborough Stadium and Red Wing Stadium, respectively. Though the team had talent, which warranted individual players, such as Fats Jenkins to play in the Negro National Baseball League East-West All-Star Game each year, the team itself was less successful. In its thirteen years playing for the league, the team finished their season in last place ten of those times. In their last season, the team ended with a record of 8-32

Color photograph of Jim Palmer with black text and a signature on top

James "Jim" Palmer pitched for Major League Baseball from 1965-67 and 1969-1984. During his time in the MLB, he received three Cy Young Awards, four Gold Gloves, and was a six-time American League All-Star. He currently holds an Orioles record with 268 career victories. Palmer retired in 1984 after spending his entire 19 year career with the Baltimore Orioles, and his number 22 was retired by the team in 1985. After his active playing career ended, he went on to work as a sports commentator and acted as spokesman for several corporations. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1990.

Illustration of brown bird on a branch by a tree trunk with a blue background

As part of a set of 40, this button features a Wren bird. Wrens are tiny brown birds that have loud and complex songs. There are around 89 species living across North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. According to Greek mythology, the Wren became king of birds by hiding on the back of an eagle and succeeding in flying higher in the sky than the eagle.  

Illustration of a white swan on blue water with green in the background and white text

As a part of a set of 40, this button features a swan. There are 6 different species of swans and swans are one of the largest flying birds. They can live for approximately 20 to 30 years and mate for life. Swans have over 25,000 feathers on their bodies. Male swans are called cobs while females are called pens. Because of their large size they have few natural predators. Their main predators are humans who hunt them for their meat and feathers.

Illustration of a red bird on a branch with green leaves and a blue sky

As part of a set of 40, this button features a male Summer Tanager the only all red bird in North America. Female Summer Tanagers are a dull yellow color. Despite their striking color, the Summer Tanager is difficult to see because they prefer to nest and forage high in tree canopies. They feed on bees and wasps by catching them in flight and removing their stringers against tree branches before eating. This is why they are sometimes known as the bee bird.

Illustration of a brown and yellow bird on a branch with green leaves with a blue sky and black text along the bottom

As part of a set of 40, this button features a Song Sparrow. Song Sparrows are found throughout North America and vary in appearance from large dark birds in the north to small pale birds in the south. There are 34 recognized sub-species, but they all share the same rounded tail. Song Sparrows can sing as many as 20 different tunes with up to 1,000 improvised variations of the same basic song.  

Illustration of a bird with red, black and white on a branch with green leaves and pink flowers on a blue sky background and black text along the bottom

As part of a set of 40, this button features a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Males are black and white with a red patch on their breasts and females are brown with white streaks and a white stripe over their eyes. These insect eating birds are most commonly found in North America and migrate to South America in the winter. A group of Grosbeak birds are known as a “gross” of grosbeaks.

An illustration of a red and black bird on a green background

As part of a set of 40, this button features a male Red Winged Blackbird. Males are a black color with a red and yellow shoulder while females are dark brown with yellow around their beaks. These birds are found in North America and Central America. They feed on insects, seeds and fruit. In the wild they live an average of 2 years. The oldest recorded wild Red Winged Blackbird lived 15 years and 9 months.

Illustration of black and white bird with a red head on a branch with green leaves and a blue sky background

As part of a set of 40, this button features a Red Headed Woodpecker. Red Headed Woodpeckers are solitary birds found in southern parts of Canada and eastern parts of the United States. They are aggressive birds that are highly territorial and will destroy other bird’s eggs and nests to protect their territory. Red Headed Woodpeckers won’t hesitate to defend their nests or food storages from larger species of birds. They are one of the few species that store food under twigs, tree limbs or bark so other animals cannot take it.