Dark blue outer edge with white text surrounding an illustration of Reddy Kilowatt in the middle

Created in 1926 by American inventor and marketer, Ashton B. Collins Sr., Reddy Kilowatt was a corporate mascot for power companies across the globe. Having a torso and limbs made of lightning, a light bulb for a nose, and wall outlets for ears, Reddy was designed to represent electricity as a safe and necessary utility. Reddy made his first appearance in an advertisement for the Alabama Power Company (APC). At the time, Collins Sr. served with the company as their commercial manager. The character would go on to find rapid success. Not only did numerous power companies employ Reddy as their mascot, but the character would also be featured in coloring books, comics, and cartoons. Though Reddy has seen a definite decline in popularity as a mascot of electrical generation, the characters likeness in collectibles and memorabilia remains popular to collectors. 

White text on a blue background.
 

Puffie Wuffies suddenly appeared in 1937 as a food item in the market. Sold through bakeries for 10c a bag, the Zanesville Times Recorder referred to them as a “fried cake confection.” The Barnard Bulletin published an ad in January 1938 identifying Puffie Wuffies as what we commonly refer to as doughnut holes.

Illustration of two human feet with smiling faces on the soles.  Blue text on a white background.

A native of Württemberg, Germany, Morris Selz, a businessman, arrived in Chicago in 1854 and immediately began a clothing business in the city named Selz & Cohn. However, in 1871, Selz switched his business to focus on the shoe trade and founded M. Selz & Co in 1871. The company enjoyed immediate success, with the firms factory, the East Madison Street Factory operating with three hundred and fifty employees while making one million dollars worth of hand-pegged shoes and boots each year. Soon, Selz's company would rank among the leading shoe manufacturers in the Midwest. Charles H. Schwab, another German immigrant who had arrived in Chicago in 1854 as well joined the firm in 1878 and became a co-partner, changing the name of the company to Selz, Schwab & Co. From there the company continued to grow where by the early twentieth century, fifteen hundred workers were employed in the companies four factories located in Chicago, Genoa, Elgin, and Joliet. In addition, the company was now manufacturing twelve thousand pairs of shoes and boots per day, effectively making it the leading maker of footwear in the United States at the time. Yet, despite its success, the company like many others fell victim to the Great Depression, which caused a dramatic decrease in sales. Eventually, the factories were forced to close, ending the company and its success.

Illustration of a ventriloquist doll wearing a monocle and top hat inside a white circle.  White text on a black outer ring.

Edgar Bergen (1903-1978) was an American ventriloquist and radio comedian who often acted as the foil of his puppet partner, Charlie McCarthy. Though Bergen created him during his years in high school, Charlie was first introduced to audiences in 1936 on American singer and actor, Rudy Vallée's radio program. Recognized for his famous top hat, monocle, and tuxedo, Charlie had the personality of a mischievous and wisecracking little boy whose banter with Bergen became a national hit. Bergen and Charlie's dynamic was so successful that the duo were given cast roles as part of the Chase and Sanborn Hour, which over time became one of radio's highest rated programs. The show remained a hit up until its end when it left the air in 1956. In addition, Bergen also brought Charlie to CBS for a new weekly program, The Charlie McCarthy Show, which also enjoyed success with audiences. Upon the shows conclusion, Bergen and Charlie made numerous appearances on a variety of talk shows and performances.​

Illustration of 3 blue overlapping oval shapes with red text on a white background.

Stuyvesant High School is a public, magnet school located within Manhattan in New York City, New York. The school opened in 1904 as an all boys trade school. By the 1910s, the school had taken a specialized turn towards mathematics and science and was quickly renowned for it’s academic prowess.

In 1967, a lawsuit was filed against the Board of Education by a female student for not being allowed to take the entrance exam based on her sex. The lawsuit went to trial and was ruled in favor of the female student; the school has admitted females from then on.

The term G.O. stands for Government Organization which was a form of student government.

Illustration in blue of a storage chest inside a white circle with red text.  White text on a red outer border.

A community chest as depicted in the illustration was also known as a war chest during WWI and WWII. The Community Chest (organization) was founded in 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, and it allocated campaign funds through charity to address the problems of a rapidly expanding metropolitan area. In 1918, WWI brought refinements in fundraising. To save time and money, the Red Cross and YMCA formed a campaign known as “War Chest” and raised over 6 million dollars, surpassing the goal for the drive. The War Chest led the Community Chest to popularity in 1919, encompassing 92 agencies and bringing over 4 million dollars in its first campaign.

During WWII, the Community Chest again ran the War Chest campaign to investigate the possibility of a more complete federation of charitable work. Throughout the years, the Community Chest expanded to bring communities across 40 countries and territories to improve the quality of education, financial stability, and health. Today, the Community Chest is known as The United Way. This artifact may have been worn in the 1940s to represent volunteer service during wartime campaigns.

Illustration of waving American flag with black text on a white background.

The Chautauqua club was a traveling series of lectures with the goal to educate Americans, specifically Americans living in rural areas. This began in 1874 when a businessman, Lewis Miller, and a Methodist minister, John Heyl Vincent formed the club in Lake Chautauqua, New York to educate people to become Sunday school teachers. It evolved into a combination of education and entertainment, with lectures and performances, eventually inspiring dozens of other similar clubs. The idea was to bring the culture of American cities to a broader audience.  After over sixty years the Chautauqua clubs began to dwindle with the onset of the Great Depression. During its height, it shaped conversations on American social issues, culture, and politics and was even described by Teddy Roosevelt as “the most American thing in America.”

The Chautauqua club was part of a greater increase in focus on American education and was preceded by the Lyceum movement. Today the legacy of the Chautauqua club still exists in New York State. The Chautauqua Institution continues the same ideas of the late 19th century, with programs, lectures, symphony performances, theater, and opera.

Illustration of man with short red hair and white shirt holding a glass with two hands, drinking from it with a long straw.  Pink, green and black text on a white background.

Bennigan's, a Irish-themed pub chain restaurant in the United States, celebrated Halloween 1984 in locations around the country with eight days of festivities. On Halloween night 1984, the celebrations included magicians, a costume contest with a $250 prize, and other surprises like giveaways. Some of the giveaway items from the celebration included buttons and pint mugs reading "Halloween 1984" and "Phantom's Potion."  

Illustration of a large mushroom with two smaller mushrooms below it.  Black text on an orange background.

Every autumn since 1968 the towns of Berwyn and Cicero, Illinois, have celebrated their Czech and Slovak heritages with the Houby Festival. Houby is the Bohemian word for mushroom, symbolizing the annual Czech and Slovak harvest and cultural dishes. Bohemians immigrated to the Chicago area in the 1900s, but their communities have dwindled in recent decades. The festival now brings together people from various backgrounds and surrounding communities. Festival events have included a pageant, carnival, parade, and live music. The parade has been toted as one of the largest in Chicago’s suburbs.

Illustration of a black bat with white eyes with red text on a yellow background.