Illustration of three horses pulling a car in the desert with orange and yellow text and an outer white edge

Building on the success of the first two films, Back to the Future Part III is a science fiction western released in 1990.  Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the movie follows Marty McFly as he escapes 1955 in a time machine DeLorean to travel to the Old West in 1885. His goal is to rescue Doc Brown and send them both back to the future.  The film grossed over $200 million worldwide.

Illustration of a child in a blue hat and an orange and yellow striped top putting a yellow star on the top of a pine tree with red lights on the five points of a star mounted behind the button

Mary Hamilton was a master artist at Hallmark with a talent for telling charming stories and bringing beauty to everyday objects. Her illustrations brought extraordinary innocence and sweetness to life. Some of her work showcases whimsical characters for Hallmark greeting cards and designing ornaments with cute angels. Her most notable images are bears that appeared on cards, albums, ceramic plates, mugs, books, puzzles, stickers, and buttons (as seen here). Her work became so popular that she developed a loyal fan base. Hamilton served as an illustrator, mentor, and friend to many across Hallmark’s creative community until her retirement in 2015 and her subsequent death in 2017.

Photograph of a colorfully lit up building with illustration of Reddy Kilowatt and a gold circle with black text on a black background

The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair emerged from the efforts of a team of New York businessmen and politicians who intended to use the fair to showcase the city's economic strength and to attract new businesses and Robert Moses, the president of the fair, who hoped the venture would provide funding to complete his dream of a major new city park in Queens. 

The Electric Power and Light Company's pavilion, the Tower of Light, served as one of the fair's numerous sights and attractions. The tower was sponsored by 150 investor-owned utility companies through the country. The tower consisted of 600 aluminum prism fitted together to form an eye-catching pattern. Visitors entered the building through a moving ramp that carried them over a reflecting pool and deposited them on a giant turntable. The turntable revolved past seven chambers, stopping at each chamber for a new episode of a musical presentation, The Brightest Show on Earth. The musical show featured animated three-dimensional talking figures, electronically controlled and electronically lighted, with a character called Reddy Kilowatt introducing Ben Franklin to the modern uses of electricity. At night, a 12-billion-candlepower beam shot brightly into the sky. Admission to the tower was free. 

The tower was awarded the Total Electric Award as part of the "Live Better Electronically" campaign effort of General Electric (GE) and Westinghouse corporations' joint venture to promote the sales of electric appliances and to extol the benefits of electric power.

Blue text on a white shield shape on top of a blue and red background with white stars

Ernest Henry Davy was an Illinois native, born on November 20, 1890 in Braceville Township, IL to English and Welsh immigrant parents; he had nine siblings. Davy had two distinct professions during his tenure working: he was a farmer from 1915-1936 and then worked in real estate and insurance sales until 1956—which is the approximate era of this promotional item. He married Amanda Watson on March 3, 1915, and the couple had two children. In addition to his professional roles, Davy was also a justice of the peace, a member of the United Methodist Church, and a Modern Woodman of America. He died on March 26, 1975.

Orange and brown text and an illustration of a character with a baseball bat on a white background

The St. Louis Browns Major League Baseball team originated in Milwaukee as the Brewers, moving to St. Louis in 1902. "Brownie the Elf" was originally designed as the logo for the Cleveland Browns football team in the late 1940s. Possibly inspired by the brownie creatures of Scottish folklore, the earliest versions of Brownie as a team logo are credited to Dick Dugan, who became the sports cartoonist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brownie the Elf served his brief mascot duty for the St. Louis Browns from 1952-1953, just before the team moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles. 

Black text on an orange background

This button from the 1940 elections encourages the wearer to vote for both the incumbent Democratic President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and Democratic candidate for Governor of Illinois Harry B. Hershey. While Roosevelt would be successful and go on to serve his third term as President, Hershey would ultimately lose to Republican Dwight H. Green. Hershey, a former state’s attorney, would later go on to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1951 to 1966.

Black and white photograph of a man with his arm raised on a white background with red and blue stripes above and below

Former Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan served his first term as President of the United States in 1980 when he defeated Democrat Jimmy Carter. Before he hit this pinnacle in his political career, Reagan was the former State Governor of California. During his time in office, he initiated the War on Drugs and introduced Reaganomics, a series of economic policies to regulate U.S. capital by lowering financial expenditures which was significantly influenced supply-side economics. This approach to the U.S. economy is what influenced his reelection in 1984. 

Blue and green text on a white background with green and blue stripes in the upper left corner

Harold Edward Stassen (1907 - 2001), was elected Governor of the State of Minnesota at the age of 31, making him the youngest to ever serve in that role. In 1942 Stassen gave a speech titled A Pattern for Peace and in 1945 a speech titled The Cost of Lasting Peace. 

Stassen’s age and progressive form of Republicanism appealed to young people and galvanized students to assist in his 1948 bid for the Republican Presidential nomination. In the last days before the Wisconsin primary, 150 University of Wisconsin students, calling themselves the Stassen Minutemen, went door to door in Madison handing out literature and urging people to the poles. Stassen won the Wisconsin primary with 19 delegates. Between 1948 and 1992, Stassen unsuccessfully campaigned nine times for the Republican nomination. 

Black and white photograph of a man over black background on top of button and white text over black background on bottom surrounding middle stripe of white text on red background

This button was for Republican Senator Bob Dole's campaign for U.S. president in 1996. It pokes fun at the age of Dole, who turned 73 in July 1996. Dole and his running mate, Jack Kemp, lost that election to incumbent President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, 379 electoral votes to 159.

In Fall 1941, Dole enrolled at the University of Kansas, but joined the U.S. Army in 1942. He was assigned to the 10th mountain division as a second lieutenant. With the injuries he suffered in combat in 1945, he lost use of most of his right arm. He was later awarded two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. In 1976, Dole was Gerald Ford's vice presidential running mate, but they lost the election to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Dole also unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1980 and 1988. In 1997, President Clinton awarded Dole the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2007, President Bush appointed him co-chair of a committee to investigate problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which closed in 2011. Dole turned 92 on July 22, 2015.

Green text on a yellow background

This campaign pin is from the 1992 United States election season during which Bill Clinton ran against President George H. W. Bush and became 42^nd President of the United States. “Johnson for Congress” could be referring to Don Johnson Jr. of Georgia, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, or Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, each of whom were congressional Democratic candidates during the election of 1992.