Illustration of a white brick wall with red text

The British rock band Black Sabbath released Mob Rules, their tenth studio album, in 1981. The album, which received mixed reviews from critics, was the first to include new band member Vinny Appice on drums, who replaced the original drummer Bill Ward. The album cover for Mob Rules was an adaptation of artist Greg Hildebrandt's artwork from 1971 entitled Dream 1: Crucifiers.

Photograph of Adam Ant

Adam and the Ants, a British rock band active between the late 1970s and early 1980s, released their third and final album, Prince Charming, in 1981. The album included the title track “Prince Charming,” which was the fifth biggest hit single of the year. The single was well known for an accompanying music video that featured Adam Ant styled as a male Cinderella. Following the release of Prince Charming, Adam and the Ants disbanded, and Adam Ant launched his solo career.

Red text and a red lightening bolt on a black background

Founded by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in 1973, AC/DC is a rock and roll band from Australia that is currently comprised of four members: Angus Young, Chris Slade, Axl Rose, and Stevie Young. The name of the band was originally inspired by Margaret Young, the sister of Malcolm and Angus Young, when she noticed the initials AC/DC on a sewing machine which meant "alternating current/direct current." Being that the meaning of AC/DC was an electricity reference, the band decided to incorporate a lightening bolt in it to symbolize the band's energy. Their first album "High Voltage" debuted in 1975, which set the tone for their future success that led them to release over a dozen albums within their career. Black Ice (2008), Back in Black (1980), and BallBreaker (1995) are some of their most popular works.  

Image from the single Modern Love is Automatic

The British new wave band A Flock of Seagulls released their third single "Modern Love is Automatic" in 1981. Written by band members Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, the song was re-released in 1982 as part of an EP including five tracks. It was also later included on the band's debut album, eponymously titled A Flock of Seagulls. Notably, an independent film was named after the song in 2009.

White text on a red and green background

When Richard Nixon resigned, Gerald Ford became President of the United States overnight. This meant that his wife, Betty Ford, was the First Lady. In her early years, Betty attempted a career as a dancer. During her time as the First Lady she could often be found dancing at informal White House functions. She was very outspoken, which concerned conservatives, but was largely welcomed by the American public. After the Watergate scandal under Nixon and the outspoken Betty, conservatives and Democrats alike were happy to see President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn move into the White House.

On an additional note the rock band the Carter Administration released an album named Betty Ford Start Packing the Carters Are Coming in the year 2000.

An illustration of a pink man's face that looks happy on one side and grouchy when flipped over. Mouth lines double as forehead lines for the reverse image. Above and below the illustration is red text. All on a yellow background. 

This graphic is a reversible or metamorphic image. From one view, the text says, “I’m Grouchy,” and we see a grouchy face on the man. But when you flip the same image upside down now, the man has a smiling face, and the text reads “I’m Happy.” The image has only slightly changed, his wrinkled forehead becomes a smile, and his eyes change from looking down angrily to looking up. The hair and ears have stayed the same.  These types of visuals use the phenomenon of multistable perception. Multistable perception is when an image can provide multiple, yet stable perceptions of the intended design. These types of images are often used as research tools in the field of psychology. One of the earliest examples of a multistable perception image is the duck-rabbit first published in a German magazine in the late 19th century.

White text and an illustration of a red mouth on a green background

 “Kiss me I’m Irish” is a popular phrase that can be seen more frequently around St. Patrick’s Day. From shirts to signs, and pins, the phrase appears everywhere. Its origins refer to the kissing of the Blarney Stone in Ireland which is said to bring luck to the kisser. Since kissing the stone is difficult to accomplish, kissing an Irish person is seen as an alternative method of gaining luck. 

Black and white photograph of a hand with the thumb pointing up

Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 1872 painting ‘Pollice Verso’ is thought to have introduced the concept of the thumbs-up gesture as a sign of approval and the thumbs-down gesture as a sign of disapproval.

In ancient Rome, when Gladiators competed with each other in combat for entertainment, the crowd often decided if the Gladiator was to live to fight another day by giving a thumbs-down which meant swords down. If the crowd gave a thumbs-up, swords up, then it was a fight to the finish with one Gladiator dead and the winner alive.

Purple text on a blue background

The phrase “I’m number 3, I don’t try at all” is typically used when one is not putting in any effort or trying hard at all, to a point where being the best at something or being in first place is out of the question. The phrase has been used as early as the 1960s and has since become popular as a humorous way to express one’s lack of motivation in a given situation. Although its origin is unclear, it is believed that the phrase is a parody of the revolutionary tagline, "when you're only No. 2, you try harder," created by American car rental company Avis Car Rentals.

White text on a light blue background with two red hearts and two pink hearts

Hallmark’s humorous Shoebox line was created in 1986.