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.

Illustrated vignette of a horse and cow facing each other, a pig and ram, horse racing, and fruits, vegetables, wheat and corn forming part of a decorative display. Small harmonica attached.

Considered one of the largest and best known state fairs in the United States, the Iowa State Fair is held annually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1854 and it moved from town to town until it moved permanently to Des Moines in 1886. The fair strives to be a place where people can be educated, informed and entertained. It hosts one of the largest livestock shows and the state’s largest art show. The fair was featured in the novel State Fair by Phil Strong, which was then adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein as a musical in 1995. One of the long time favorites of the fair is the Butter Cow sculpture. The sculpture has been a part of the fair since 1911 and it takes approximately 600 pounds of butter to sculpt.

Button divided up into three stripes, one green, one white and one orange.  White and green text. 

St. Patrick, also known as Maewyn Succant, was born in Britain around A.D. 390. He was brought to Ireland after being kidnapped and taken into slavery where he later became a priest. After his passing, St. Patrick was remembered as the priest who opened many monasteries, churches, and schools. He was named the patron saint of Ireland in 1631.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations started in America in 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida. At the time, people celebrated St. Patrick for being the saint of corn. Eventually, these celebrations were tied to the patron saint of Ireland, while creating many traditions still in practice today including wearing green, drinking beer, eating corned beef and cabbage, and displaying the symbolic shamrock.

Colorized photograph of town street with horse-drawn carts.  Windmill in foreground.  Illustrated white dog with red collar sitting in upper left-hand corner next to black text.

Rushville Nebraska is a community of about 1,100 residents. It was established as a town in 1885 along the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad. Because of its close proximity to the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs used Rushville as a supply point up until the 1960s. Buffalo Bill Cody spent time in Rushville when he was recruiting for his Wild West show. Cody also filmed a reenactment of the “Battle of Wounded Knee” in Rushville.

Photograph of John F. Kennedy on top portion of button.  White text in red center portion.  White text and illustration of airplane on black bottom portion. 

JFK, born John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from January 1961 until his assassination on November 22, 1963. Before becoming president, JFK served in both the House of Representative and the Senate for the state of Massachusettes. His time in office overlapped with the Cold War, the creation of the Peace Corps, and the Civil Rights Movement. After his death in 1963, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office and the New York International Airport, built in 1948, was renamed the John F. Kennedy International Airport to honor his memory. 

Black text and red heart symbol on a white background.

Girl Scout Cookies are sold by members of the Girl Scouts as a major fundraising for individual troops. The funds are used to support different experiences and adventures for local troop members. The first cookie sales began with the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started the organization. In 1934, The Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia became the troop to sell commercially baked cookies. Two years later, the national organization began licensing commercial bakers to make cookies to be sold by troops around the nation. By 1937 more than 125 troops were selling cookies. By 1951 three varieties were available — sandwich, shortbread, and chocolate mints. Since 1998, eight varieties have been available for sale.

This is a variation of the I heart NY logo that was created in 1977 by Milton Glaser for an ad campaign created by advertising agency Wells Rich Greene. The marketing campaign was sought by then-Deputy Commissioner William S. Doyle to increase tourism in the state of New York. The campaign was a wild success. The original sketch of the logo is permanently on display at the MOMA. The logo has become iconic in pop-culture and has been imitated in many forms around the world.

Blue and white text in a red center circle.  White text on a blue outer border.

The Yonkers Industrial Exposition and Pure Food Show was held at the State Armory on Maple and Waverly Streets in Yonkers, New York. The Yonkers Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event. It featured roughly 75 booths representing almost all of the manufacturers of Yonkers. The slogan for the expo “Industry Unites Us With the World” was selected from nearly 5,000 entries for a slogan contest that was held. Featured entertainment at the expo included musical performances and vaudeville acts direct from New York City.