Black text on a white background.

Writer and political activist, Leroy Eldridge Cleaver, ran for President of the United States in 1968 as the nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party. He was the Minister of Information and the head of the international section of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s. In 1968 when he ran for President, he was involved in a shootout with police in Oakland, California that left one member of the Black Panthers dead and two police officers wounded. Despite jumping bail and fleeing the country for Cuba, Algeria, and France, he and his running mate still received over 36,000 votes in the election. Cleaver came back to the U.S. in 1975 and became a Republican and a member of the Mormon Church.

Illustration of Eldridge Cleaver on the left side with  black text to the right on a gold background.

During the 1968 Presidential election, Eldridge Cleaver, author of Soul on Ice and a leading member of the Black Panther Party ran on the ticket of the Peace and Freedom Party. A few of the policies that the party included the immediate withdrawal from Vietnam and also offering the full support of the Black Liberation Movement. The campaign would end shortly, however, as in that same year, Cleaver was wounded during a shootout between Black Panthers and Oakland police. Facing criminal charges, Cleaver posted bail and fled the United States and led a life of exile in Algeria, France, and Cuba. It wouldn't be until 1975 that Cleaver would return to the United States to once again resume his mission of igniting political transformation within the country.

Illustration of Malcolm X and black text inside a white cirlce in the center of the button.  White text on black outer border.

The Black Panther Party, originally called the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, was founded in Oakland, California, in 1966 following the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X. Party co-founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale based much of the organization’s philosophies on Malcolm X’s ideas including black nationalism and armed self-defense. In 1967 armed party members marched into the California state legislature to protest a gun control bill. Party activities slowed in the mid-1970s into the 1980s as President Herbert Hoover devoted Federal Bureau of Investigations resources to its end and leadership dissolved.

Illustration of Thomas Cooper in front of a yellow background with black text on top

Thomas Cooper (1874-1906) was a champion bicycle rider during the 1890s. A natural bicyclist, Cooper's affinity on a bike would make him a national celebrity in the United States. Highlights of his career include his first place finish in the half-mile professional event, which was part of the 1898 League of American Wheelman Championship and also his victory during the Bicycle Championship of America in 1899. Besides his career in cycling, Cooper is also hailed as an early pioneer in the automobile industry, striking up partnerships with figures such as Barney Oldfield and Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company.  Cooper's life would end as a result of an auto accident in New York City on November 16, 1906. 

Illustration of a calendar surrounded by leaves displaying the month of November for the year 1896.  Illustration is on a blue background.

Pocket diaries, including pocket calendars, were an extremely popular item from the time of their invention in the late 18th century through to the development of digital options in the mid 20th century. During the latter half of the 19th century, advertisers began printing calendars as promotional items to increase their sales and drive business. As a producer of novelty and advertising goods, Whitehead & Hoag produced a monthly calendar button between 1896 and through at least November, 1897. Today, examples from this series are rare.

Black and white photograph of a woman's face close up, smoking a cigarette.

Lora Wise, the woman pictured here, created the Sunnydale Nudist Convention button that is also a part of our collection. 

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Illustration of Liberty Bell in red and blue with light blue stars on the bell.

Illustration of purple-colored dinosaur with purple text on a white background with a purple ring around edge of button.

"It's Colossal" is a phrase generally used when describing something exceedingly large similar to the dinosaur depicted. However, the "It's Colossal" slogan has been used in a variety of campaigns, causes, and cultural heritage movements over time including some artistic demonstrations and community murals. Colossal is also a major undertaking in the genetic science field focusing on the recreation of past life forms formerly of larger than life size such as the wholly mammoth; a play on words describing both the size of the effort and the size of the end result or finished project.

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Illustration in blue of man mounted on a horse wearing tricorn hat and holding a saber. White text and two five-pointed star shapes on a red outer border than encircles all but the bottoms of the button's edge.

General Casimir Pulaski, born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1745, is known for fighting against Russian and Prussian interference in Polish affairs and against Great Britain in the American Revolution. In American, he formed the Pulaski Legion, which utilized guerrilla-style tactics against the British. Pulaski was wounded in Savannah, Georgia, in 1779. He died days later aboard an American ship called the Wasp. His death date and body location are disputed. A 20th Century a DNA analysis conducted Pulaski's possible remains that were reburied at the Casimir Pulaski Monument in 1853 came back inconclusive. 

Illustration of the head and shoulders of a man with red text above and below on a white background.

In the 1950s, the Quaker Oats Company released a series of twenty pinback buttons in marked boxes of Puffed Wheat & Rice cereal. The buttons depicted different celebrities at the time and were each labeled with the phrase "A Paramount Star" on the bottom. This button features William Holden, an American actor who was considered one of the most popular actors of his generation. Holden starred in numerous films, including Network, Casino Royale, and Stalag 17, the last of which earned Holden the Academy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. Holden continued to be a popular figure in Hollywood up until his death in 1981.