Illustration of the Earth viewed from a grey, cratered landscape on a black background.  Yellow and black text.

The National Air and Space Museum currently has two locations, the Smithsonian complex on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. The location on the National Mall was built after the collection had outgrown several other buildings. It was opened in time for the nation’s centennial in 1976. The Chantilly location was built in 2003. Not only is the museum the largest of the Smithsonian Institutions, but its Center for Earth and Planetary Studies is one of only nine of the Institution’s research centers. The collection currently is the home of over 60,000 objects but, it all began with a collection of 20 kites acquired from the Chinese Imperial Commission in 1876. Over eight million guests a year visit the two locations.

Black and white photograph of Niagara Falls.  Boat in foreground and black text in middle of button.

In the year 1938 the bridge connecting Niagara Falls, Ontario with Niagara Falls, New York collapsed. The bridge was know as the Upper Steel Arch Bridge or the Honeymoon Bridge and had been built between 1897-1898. It was, at the time, the largest steel arch bridge in the world. The collapse was caused by a massive amount of ice pushing against the bridge’s abutments.

Illustration of a winking man wearing a bowtie and carnation holding a straight razor above his head with black text on an orange and yellow background. 

Morrow County Ohio was established in 1848 and was named for Jeremiah Morrow who was governor of Ohio from 1822-1826. A centennial celebration for the county took place from Sept. 8-15, 1974. Shaving permits were sold as a means to raise money for centennial celebrations in towns across the United States. Most of the time the fundraising effort was conducted by an organization called the Brothers of the Bush. The organization got their name because they sought to embody the men who founded the town, most of which would have had beards. The Brothers of the Bush would convene anytime a town would be preparing to celebrate an anniversary of the town’s founding. At the beginning of the anniversary year, men could enter a beard and mustache growing contest. The men had to be entirely clean shaven when they registered. Anyone who didn’t wish to participate was supposed to purchase a shaving permit. These permits ranged in price from a couple of cents to a couple of dollars depending on the year the celebration was being held. All of the proceeds from the sale of the shaving permits and the registration fees were given to the town’s centennial celebration fund.

Stylized map consisting of concentric circles, dots and lines.  Black text on a white background.

Towns and cities across America created slogans to promote themselves as nice places to live. Sidney R. Clark created “Do it for Rochester” for the Rochester, New York, Chamber of Commerce in the early 1900s. Ray Stannard Baker wrote an article about Rochester in The American Magazine in 1910. The article described a city where “do it for Rochester” was not just boosterism. Instead, Baker depicted a city full of civic engagement with citizens eager to contribute to a common good. Rochester was known as “the eye of the continent” and favorably sited as a conduit between major urban and manufacturing centers.

Blue-colored illustration of woman with bob haircut holding a hand mirror up to her face.  Red scalloped border around edge of button on a white background. 

Illustration of a blue check-mark between two red six-pointed stars above a black handlebar mustache.  Black and blue text on a white background.

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Chicago in 2015. Since 2012 Garcia has been a member of  the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He was born in Durango, Mexico and immigrated in 1965. Garcia has held positions on the Chicago City Council (1986-1993) and the Illinois State Senate (1993-1999). His election to the state senate marked the first time a Mexican-American was a member of that institution. The mayoral election pitted Garcia against incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Garcia won 34% of the votes and forced a runoff election that he then lost.

Black and white illustration of a woman's head over red text on a white background

Politician, educator, and author Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. She was in office from 1969 to 1983. She was not only the first woman who ran for president for the Democratic Party, but also the first black candidate for a major party in a presidential election. Chisholm died in 2005 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Illustration of bald eagle with ruffled feathers looking at viewer.  Red text with white outline and white text on a blue background.

The 2016 election provided two of the most unpopular front runners in U. S. history, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders however consistently topped the polls in popularity and his political campaign rallies broke numerous attendance records. He ran as a Democrat with a very socialist viewpoint. His presidential campaign suffered from a lack of fair news coverage. Sanders’ fundraising broke from the traditional. Instead of depending on funding from wealthy donors and PACs, Bernie looked to small donations from individuals. Social media was a large part of how Bernie ran his grassroots campaign. After his campaign ended he endorsed Hillary Clinton. He currently holds a seat as a United States Senator from Vermont.

Illustration of two jockeys riding galloping horses on a racetrack with black text. Small cowboy boot attached.

The first Ohio State Fair was held from October 2-4, 1850. The event moved permanently to Columbus, Ohio in 1886. Guests today have the opportunity to compete in various competitions including: agriculture, livestock, fine arts, sports, and cooking. The Ohio State Fair Homebrew competition began in 2010 and in 2017 judged 580 different brews of beer, mead and cider. Traditions are a prominent feature of the fair. The mascot Butter D. Cow has been interacting with guests since 2002. Smokey the Bear has welcomed guests by name since 1959 when they visit the fair’s Natural Resource Park. Butter sculptures were first introduced in 1903 and sculptures today reflect positive ideals and cultural trends. 

Illustration of two jockeys riding galloping horses on a racetrack with black text. There is a gold pin attached to the ribbons, it has a horse head on it.

The New York State Agricultural Society held the first state fair in the nation on September 29-30, 1841. It’s original intent was to promote agricultural improvement and provide a venue to introduce new good and services to farmers. Early fair attractions included animal exhibits, a plowing contest and samples of manufactured goods. The fair was hosted in multiple cities until 100 acres of land was donated by the Syracuse Land Company in 1889. Permanent exhibits and a museum were opened in 1928. The addition of the midway allowed for the expansion of the entertainment provided. Entertainers such as Sonny and Cher, Lady Antebellum, and Bruno Mars have all performed at the New York State Fair. Today’s fair still provides agricultural exhibits and shows, especially horse shows.  Other entertainment includes rides, beer competitions, cooking shows and more.