Illustration of a rising sun above an illustration of two crossed flags behind two horns with an open book in the center; large red text on the top of the button and small blue text on the bottom

Rally Day is a celebration that marks the beginning of the church calendar for many Protestant practitioners. It happens in late September or early October. The church welcomes newcomers, gives bibles to children and recognizes their promotion to the next Sunday School grade, and presents the church goals for the next year.

Black text on a white background with a color illustration of the flags of Italy and the United States attached to crossed yellow flag poles

Ricordo de la Festa Nazionale, also known as National Unity and Armed Forces Day, is an Italian national holiday first recognized on November 3, 1918, in honor of Italy's defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the end of WWI; the holiday is celebrated on the following day, November 4th. On its first anniversary in 1919, protests broke out due to the clash of fascists and socialists. In response to the violence from the previous year, a Flag Festival was held in 1920. Participating in the Flag Festival were Italy's flags along with those of their allies, including the United States. In 1941, Italy paused the celebration (along with other Italian holidays) due to World War II. After WWII the holiday resumed, and throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, the event experienced violent and deadly riots. These events contributed to the transition to National Unity Day and is no longer a public nor a widely known holiday anymore. 

Yellow background with black text on the top above a large black and white illustration of a chicken in between two large baskets filled with eggs

Swift Hatchery did business in Iowa in the 1940s and 1950s. In a 1949 newspaper ad, the chicks "Husky, Hearty, and Healthy" are proud to present “Swift’s Golden Neck Layer.” The breed was being offered in Iowa for the first time, and was described as a golden opportunity for poultry raisers! [emphasis taken from ad]

Red background with an illustration of green waves and a white mushroom cloud; green text is overlaid over the illustration. 

In November 1970, the community of Florence, Oregon faced a problem: a dead sperm whale, eight tons heavy and forty-five feet long, had washed up on the beach shore and was decomposing. The Oregon State Highway Division considered multiple options, but decided that using dynamite to vaporize the whale would be the correct course of action. Unfortunately, for the community and the spectators who came to witness the event, not enough explosives were used, resulting in an eruption of whale blubber and viscera landing in the area, even crushing a car. As no one was injured, the event became a humorous misstep that may have been the inspiration for cultural references such as in an episode of the television show The Simpsons and whose anniversary prompts interviews with the reporter who was present, reporting the case, and caught the footage for the news. 

Background is divided in half with  brown on the top and yellow on the bottom, with yellow and brown text

In the Bakke decision of 1978 the United States Supreme Court ruled that while racial quotas were not constitutional, consideration of an applicant’s race was constitutionally allowed on college applications.

Allan Bakke brought his case against the University of California Davis because he was denied admission to their medical school due to what he called “reverse discrimination.” At the time, UC Davis had a policy of reserving 16% of their admissions for minority students. The court ruled that while race could be a consideration on a college application, it was unconstitutional to set an exact number of slots. With the ruling, precedence was set to uphold affirmative action in future cases.

Button is white on the top half and blue on the bottom half with blue text on white and white text on blue; a large, red illustration of McGovern's face is overlaid on the right-hand side. The button is attached to a red, white, and blue ribbon with blue text that reads "OUR NEXT PRESIDENT."

George McGovern (1922–2012) was a Democratic senator from South Dakota from 1963 to 1981. During his time as senator, he ran for president twice. McGovern was the Democratic nominee in 1972, running against then Republican president, Richard Nixon. In 1968, he ran for president in place of the assassinated candidate, Robert F. Kennedy. McGovern's views were progressive for his time; he supported the decriminalization of marijuana, reproductive rights, and withdrawing from the Vietnam War. Some consider McGovern to be the Bernie Sanders of his time due to his grassroots support, advocacy for equal rights, and being the underdog candidate. McGovern received 37.5% of the popular vote, losing the election to Nixon, who won with 60.7% of the votes. The 1972 election is considered to have the lowest voter turnout since 1948.

Color illustrated portrait of George Washington in the center surrounded by two US flags on the bottom and laurel on the top. Above the laurel is black text on a white background; below the flags is a banner with black text on a light brown background. A faded red, white, and blue ribbon is attached to the button and a brass badge with black text reading "OFFICIAL" is attached to the top of the ribbon. 

Slightly colorized photograph of a naked woman giving a salute on an off-white background with banners of bold text on a striped background strategically place to cover her chest and pelvic region; the image as a whole is evocative of art nouveau graphic design.

This is one of a series of six buttons designed by Peter Max to promote the 1969 movie Paint Your Wagon. The film is a western musical starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg. It was adapted from a Broadway show with the same title and cost $20 million to make, which was a large budget for film production at the time. The movie received negative reviews, and the costs were never recouped.

Peter Max is a graphic artist know for his use of psychedelic shapes and bold color palettes.

Click here to view another button from the series

Illustration of a yellow dog with a dark blue nose and bright red tongue above yellow text on a dark blue background

Ken-L Ration was the first canned dog food in the United States, started by the Chappel brothers in 1922. They proudly advertised it as horse meat, which was cheap and widely available at the time. Fido, the yellow dog, was a popular mascot. Many are still familiar with their popular jingle, “My dog’s better than your dog!”

Neon yellow background with black text above a black smiley 

The classic yellow smiley face is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes, and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It was designed in 1963 by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The word written above the face, “Kalimera,” means “good morning” in the Greek language.