Black text on blue background with an illustration of a white clown with red lips and black face paint in the center of the button. The clown is wearing a yellow and red outfit and hat.

The circus was once the most popular form of entertainment in the world.  While the idea of being entertained by horses and other animals dates back to Roman times, the “modern” circus is attributed to Philip Astley. Astley was the first to set up an amphitheatre where both horse riding tricks and acrobats could be conducted in the same space. The first circus building in the United States opened in Philadelphia in 1793. Joshuah Purdy Brown was the first circus owner to utilize a large canvas tent as a performance arena in 1825. P.T. Barnum changed the way the circus would entertain by introducing a multi-ring center stage with various visual peculiarities and menageries.

Illustration of Rockefeller Center building with blue sky and clouds in background.  Black text with white outline.

Rockefeller Center in New York was the vision of John D. Rockefeller. The plaza was constructed during the Great Depression and provided jobs to over 40,000 people. After its opening in 1933, the Center continued to establish itself has a mainstay in New York society through innovations such as the Christmas Tree and the skating rink. The most noticeable structure of the plaza is the skyscraper at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It was designed by architect Raymond Hood in the art deco style and is one of the few buildings of that era to not have a spire at the top. The building has had several high profile tenants including: RCA,  GE, NBC Studios, and Comcast. Official landmark status was granted to the building in 1985.

Illustration of skull wearing a pirate hat above two crossed bones inside a thin-lined white circle.  White text on a blue background.

Pirate Festivals have grown in popularity and number in recent years, usually offering activities, crafts, and other fun activities for children, but they haven’t always been modern day occurrences. One such festival, the Pirate Treasure Days at Coos Bay, Oregon, on August 6-8, 1948, included a water pageant, a bug derby, sailboat races, air circus, carnival and queen coronations.  

Blue text on illustration of white flag on a red and white striped background.  Blue text on white outer border and red border on edge of button.

National Restaurant Week was a promotional campaign that began in the late 1930s and lasted through 1949. Its goal was to showcase the variety of foods restaurants offered and their sanitary preparation. May 6-12 corresponds to National Restaurant Week for either 1940 or 1946.

Illustration of Charles Lindbergh's face with the airplane, Spirit of St. Louis, in the background on a tan circular background. Black text on a white outer border.

The year 1977 was the 50th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's historic 1927 flight from North America to mainland Europe. Lindbergh is famous for being the first person to pilot a nonstop transatlantic flight solo. In addition to his success as an aviator and explorer, he was also a military officer in the Army Air Corps Reserve. He was awarded the Model of honor for his flight. 

Illustration of snow drifts and snow flakes with a blue background with black text.

A storm that is now known as the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011 impacted a large part of the United States, Canada and a small portion of Mexico from January 31- February 2 2011. The storm forced states of emergency in Illinois, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Areas not normally accustomed to winter weather experienced both ice and snow accumulation. There were widespread power outages and thousands of flight cancellations. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport cancelled over 1,100 flights. The airport reported a record total of 21.2 inches of snow which makes it the third largest snowfall amount in Chicago history to date.

This button was manufactured by the Busy Beaver Button Co.

Blue text on white center circle, white text on blue outer border.

Over 25,000 buttons were created and distributed to commemorate the Good Roads Day celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 21, 1916.  The festivities included a parade highlighting the areas best roads, a ceremony for the building progress of highways in the area, and special visits from good road experts from around the United States.

Illustration of skyline comprised of various types of buildings.  Water and boats in foreground, yellow sun in background.  Outlined white text above, solid black text below.

Golden City was an American amusement park located in New York’s Jamaican Bay. The park was a featured attraction in a 1907 advertisement in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which encouraged eager enthusiasts to come see all the rides and entertainment of the day. The park was opened over 100 years before the popular Coney Island and amused people for thirty years until 1939 when it was demolished to make way for the new Belt Parkway. Today, onlookers can get a glimpse of the former space, when visiting Canarsie Pier or driving over the parkway; the same space that generations gone by knew as the Golden City. The amusement park might be gone but as the button shows, being entertained and amused never goes out of style. 

Illustration of snowman wearing stocking hat, scarf and skis on a snowy hill.  Fir trees in background.  Blue background with irregular white patches suggesting snowflakes.  Green and Blue text.

The Duluth Winter Frolic was a winter event that began in 1926. The Frolic included sports events, like ski-jumping tournaments, hockey, skating and baseball on ice. It also included a parade, luncheons, dinners, costume contests, and a ball that crowned a Winter Frolic Queen.

Chase, Barrett. 2010. "So, When Do We Bring Back the Winter Frolic?" Perfect Duluthday. Online: https://www.perfectduluthday.com/2010/01/20/so-when-do-we-bring-back-the-winter-frolic/

Illustration of woman kicking at gold ring being held up by a clown.  Sidewalk, buildings and people in background.  Black text.

The illustration likely depicts vaudeville entertainment at American county fairs. County fairs were first held in the 19th century and originally focused on educating attendees about agriculture. Its popularity led to the development of technology and entertainment. The entertainment acts include carnival rides, vaudeville entertainers, and other amusements. Today, county fairs focus on entertainment and amusement, but also encourage agricultural education.