Red and white striped bottom background, blue top background, with white stars and white and blue text. 

Fonzie, also known as "The Fonz," was the nickname of  Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli. Fonzie was a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days, which ran from 1974 to 1984. He was a very popular character, even spawning fake Presidential campaigns run by fans as jokes. This is one example of promotion for a fake campaign in 1976.

Illustration of a silhouetted figure lying supine with a flower coming out of their chest.  Black text on a white background.

Premiering at Alliance Theater in Atlanta in 1972, Something's Afoot is a satirical musical play spoofing the “whodunnit” nature of Agatha Christie murder mystery novels - specifically her classic detective novel And Then There Were None. Written by James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach, the plot of the play revolves around a group of people including a “fussy” butler, a “saucy” maid, various family members, and the family doctor who are present at the estate of a wealthy lord named Dudley Rancour. The play begins with the visitors finding the lord murdered, after which more victims mysteriously follow and comical panic ensues.

White text on a blue background.

This button was part of a campaign for Nelson Rockefeller, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nominee in 1960, 1964, and 1968. Though he did not achieve the presidency, Rockefeller, a businessman and politician, served as both the 49th Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 and as the 41st Vice President of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Serving under President Gerald Ford, Rockefeller was considered to be politically liberal and progressive. Upon completing his tenure as vice president, Rockefeller retired from politics, choosing not to seek re-election in 1976 with President Ford. Besides his political career, Rockefeller is also recognized as having been an avid art collector for most of his life.

Red text on a white background.  A Polish flag is coming off the "T".

Solidarity (Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity”) began on August 31, 1980 as a Polish trade union federation. The union was created under the leadership of Lech Walęsa in the Gdańsk Shipyard. The Solidarity trade union was significant because it was the first non-communist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. The Warsaw Pact was signed in 1955 and basically allowed the Soviet Union to maintain military control over eight communist states in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Albania and the Soviet Union). By September 1981 Solidarity’s membership was about one third of the working population in Poland (9.5 million). Not only did Solidarity work for worker’s rights, they were also a group that used civil resistance to invoke social change. The group was initially supported financially by the United States, about 50 million dollars.

In the 1980s the Polish government attempted to destroy the union, but ultimately had to negotiate with them. Solidarity helped to lead the opposition to semi-free elections in 1989 which resulted in the election of Walęsa as the President of Poland in 1990. Solidarity had some connections with the Catholic church, as many members identified as Catholic, and Pope John Paul II publicly supported the group. The Solidarity union’s influence spread beyond Poland throughout the Eastern Bloc creating opposition to the Communist government. In the early 1990s this opposition led to the dismantling of the Eastern Bloc and dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Solidarity movement continues to influence other groups abroad to this day.

White background with red text, and a black illustration of the outline of Batman.

Ron Riley was a radio DJ for WLS Chicago from 1960 to 1971. In the mid-1960s, Riley began commentary on the Batman TV show on his radio program, which was soon expanded to create a Batman Fan Club. This button was included as part of the fan club membership package, along with a certificate signed by Riley and Batman and a sticker. The Batman Club became hugely popular, and even resulted with Riley guest-starring on an episode of the Batman TV show.

Green illustration of coiled snake on a patch of ground with green text on a yellow background.

The phrase “Don’t Tread on Me” with the image of a coiled rattlesnake can be traced back to a flag created by American general and politician Christopher Gadsden (1724-1805). He designed the flag in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. The flag was used by Continental sailors to express pro-revolution sentiments. The P.B.C., or People’s Bicentennial Commission, founded by Jeremy Rifkin, adopted the Gadsden flag in the 1970s. The P.B.C.’s goal was to use the 1976 Bicentennial to encourage an economic revolution. The group organized protests including one against big oil companies where participants threw empty oil barrels into Boston Harbor on the 200th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. The P.B.C. held a rally at the Capitol in Washington D.C. on July 4, 1976, and chanted slogans like “Mobil, Exxon, ITT, Down with corporate tyranny.” After the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorist attack on the United States, the Gadsden flag became a symbol of defiance. The conservative Tea Party within the Republican Party adopted the flag as its symbol in 2009.​

Red white and blue illustration of a campfire with a blue triangle around it with white text on it and red text across the top on a white background

Camp Fire candy sales began in February 1949. The selling of products has long provided youth with the opportunity to learn vital skills such as: presenting, planning, public speaking, math, teamwork, responsibility and goal setting. The Camp Fire Girls organization was founded in 1910 by Dr. Luther Gulick and his wife Charlotte Gulick. The Gulicks wanted youth to have experiences that would best influence how they learned to care for themselves, the environment, and other people around them. Camp Fire Girls was meant as a sister organization to the Boy Scouts of America. Membership was expanded to include boys in 1975 and the organization changed its name to Camp Fire Boys and Girls.

Line-drawing Illustration of person with curly hair and neck tie giving the "peace sign".  Blue text on a white background.

There's lots of ways to say "I'm going". Looks like this little dude is about to peace. This variation of the peace sign has been used since at least the Vietnam War era.

Blue text on a white background.

The Chicago Teachers Union is a labor union based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1937, when several smaller teacher's organizations throughout Chicago united following the uncertainty of the Great Depression. Since then, it has fought for better pay, greater benefits, and job security on behalf of teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians within the Chicago public school system. Today they are affiliated with numerous state and national federations and are the third largest teacher local union in the country, with nearly 25,000 members. 

Illustration of baseball and blue text on a white background.

The Windy City Blowout Tournament is an annual regional baseball tournament hosted in Chicago that happens over a few days. Regional teams follow unique naming according to players in their district. Championship awards are posted by divisions beginning with 24+ up to 65.