Black text on a tan stripe across the middle on top of a yellow circle with an outer black edge with yellow text

The Crepes-Plus pan began sales by the Ekco Flint company in 1975. It was made of stainless steel inside and out for easy clean up. The pan was displayed as being flipped over to heat up so that the wide-open lip of the pan was face down over the eye of the stove. Then the cook would flip the pan to dip the bottom in crepe batter, then flip it back over so that the open lip would face down over the eye and what is usually considered the “bottom” of a pan is on top cooking the crepe. Then, once it was cooked, you would flip it over to put your crepe on a plate. The Crepes-Plus pan was titled the “everything pan” and was advertised as being useful for cooking other things besides crepes. The 7-inch crepes plus pan cost $6.99, and the 8-inch size pan was $8.99.

Black illustration of a smiley face with shamrock shaped eyes

This button was most likely produced for people to wear on Saint Patrick's Day, a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on March 17, the day of Saint Patrick's death. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and the day commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and the heritage and culture of the Irish people.  According to legend, Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans, which accounts for the use of the shamrock to depict the eyes of the face on this button. It is customary to wear shamrocks and the color green on Saint Patrick's Day. Celebrations around the world include parades, feasts, festivals and drinking alcohol. 

Black smiley face on a bright yellow-green background

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 design and concept are quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However, his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

In internet culture, the smiley face is often represented by a colon and a parentheses. :)

Black jack-o-lantern face on an orange background

The jack-o-lantern has been a common Halloween symbol for centuries. They originated in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, where faces were carved into turnips and placed outside the home in order to keep out ghosts and ghouls. The tradition has become much more complex in many regions, where faces, intricate silhouettes, designs, and landscapes are carved into pumpkins. 

Brown text on an outer white edge with an illustration of two arms holding wheat on a blue background

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Black and red text on a white background

The Peoples Coalition for Peace & Justice (PCPJ) organized a November 6, 1971 group of regional anti-war rallies in 15 major U.S. cities. Posters and buttons were widely circulated promoting the rallies. Over 100,000 people participated, with the greatest turn-outs being in San Francisco with 40,000, New York with 30,000, and Denver with 15,000 in attendance.

PCPJ was formed in 1970 to protest against the war in Southeast Asia and to confront social issues such as poverty, labor, repression and sexism in the United States. PCPJ was created as a successor to the Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, which itself was formed by members of the Communist Party USA. The group organized several campaigns including the People's Peace Treaty, Citizen's Action Pledge, and Nixon Eviction campaign. 

Blue text on an orange background

According to a 1971 article by the Daily Kent Stater the People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice organized a demonstration in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 22-29 as part of two-phase “Evict Nixon” campaign. Phase I of the week began with a People’s Grand Jury comprised of everyday people, including a veteran, a housewife and others of diverse backgrounds. The purpose of the jury was to hear testimonies related to Nixon’s alleged crimes related to Vietnam, racism and repression and returned an eviction notice to President Nixon. Phase II began on October 26 with a conference discussing such topics as “What Can be Done to get rid of Nixon without Compromising One’s own Politics.”

Red and white text on a black background

On May 4, 1970, National Guard troops that were called to the campus of Kent State University to disburse anti-war protestors killed four students and wounded nine others. Eleven days later, police officers fired shots into a Jackson State University campus dormitory, killing two students and injuring twelve. And on May 12, demonstrations and unrest in Augusta, Georgia resulted in six men being killed and 80 others wounded. 

A year after the shootings, the Student Mobilization Committee, which was formed in 1966 to coordinate opposition to the war in Vietnam, established May 5 as a national moratorium in commemoration of the events which took place at Kent State, Jackson State, and Augusta. Flyers and posters announcing the event stated “Remember Our Murdered Brothers and Sisters at Kent State, Jackson State, and Augusta. Demonstrate To Bring All the GI's Home From S.E. Asia Now!”

Illustration of a jack-o-lantern with a pink hat on a brown and yellow background with black text

The modern Halloween holiday, also known as All Hallow's Eve in some Christian communities, has origins in the traditional Celtic pagan holiday Samhain, which is dedicated to celebrating and remembering the dead. It is celebrated on October 31st by individuals of all ages; children typically go trick-or-treating while teenagers and adults may attend parties or frequent haunted houses. Common Halloween symbols include jack-o-lanterns, black cats, witches, ghouls, and other spooky figures. Many individuals also celebrate All Saint's Day on November 1st, which focuses directly on deceased familial ancestors and friends, by visiting gravesites and leaving offerings for their loved ones. 

Red text on a yellow background

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