Illustration of a red flag with a symbol in the bottom right and a blue rectangle in the upper left over black text on a white background

The red ensign became the unofficial flag of Canada in 1870. The official flag of Canada at the time was the Royal Union Flag. The red ensign during this period did not have a standard design and flag makers would embellish the shield in the bottom left corner with wreaths and crowns. The shield itself was also changed as more provinces joined Canada. Today the national flag of Canada features three vertical stripes. The left and right stripes are red and the center stripe is white with a red 11 point maple leaf.

Designed and manufactured by Whitehead & Hoag Co. advertisers like Sweet Caporal cigarettes were able to insert their own backings to this button. Sweet Caporal was a brand of cigarettes created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1878 and sold to the American Tobacco Company in 1911.  Sweet Caporal was a very popular brand, especially in Canada during the early part of the 20th Century.  In 1908, 50% of cigarette sales in Canada were comprised of the Sweet Caporal brand.

Illustration of a flag with a yellow, red and green stripe with an image in the middle over black text on a white background

In the early 1800’s the dictator of Bolivia, Andrés Santa Cruz created the Bandera Mayor state flag for the Peruvian Bolivian Confederation. The red stripe represents the blood shed by Bolivian soldiers, the yellow stripe for mineral deposits, and the green stripe for fertility. When Andrés Santa Cruz was overthrown the confederation was disbanded and the national flag changed. The Bolivian flag now features red on the upper stripe, yellow in the middle, and green on the bottom stripe.  The red now represents bravery and the blood of Bolivian heroes, the yellow represents Bolivia’s wealth, and the green represents fertility, natural resources, and hope.

Designed and manufactured by Whitehead & Hoag Co. advertisers like Sweet Caporal cigarettes were able to insert their own backings to this button. Sweet Caporal was a brand of cigarettes created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1878 and sold to the American Tobacco Company in 1911.  Sweet Caporal was a very popular brand, especially in Canada during the early part of the 20th Century.  In 1908, 50% of cigarette sales in Canada were comprised of the Sweet Caporal brand.

Black text and an illustration of a baseball player all on white background.

The 1983 Chicago White Sox marked the end of a long dry spell for Chicago sports teams with a win. No baseball team in the city had any sort of success, with their last great moment coming in 1959 when the White Sox appeared in the World Series. The White Sox would win 99 games in the 1983 season, easily winning the division. Their dream run was ultimately stopped by the Baltimore Orioles in the postseason.

During the season, the team and fans rallied under the phrase, “winning ugly." This phrase stems from commentary by Texas manager, Doug Rader. There was a stretch of games where the White Sox were winning, even though they were playing sloppily and Rader used the phrase “winning ugly” to describe their style.

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.