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John Travolta is a Hollywood actor who is known for starring in popular '90s blockbusters such as Pulp Fiction (1994) and Face/Off (1997). His acting career began in the '70s when he was casted in a television sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter. During his time there, Travolta landed leading roles in two of the most memorable films of the '70s, which were Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). Since, he has starred in the popular FX television drama, People v. O.J. Simpson, as one of Simpson's legal aid, Robert Shapiro.  

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After the attack on Pearl harbor during WWII, thousands looked to volunteer in civil defense units. The Council of National Defense had been established by the U.S. government during WWI and was followed by the Office of Civil Defense in 1941. States were not in support of the federal government having control over civil defense and they all created their own civil defense organizations. A Junior Service Corps was established for children under the age of 15. They primarily supported the efforts of recycling during WWII. They would pass out fliers and string, educate households on how to properly secure waste paper, and how much each household should salvage each month based on quotas set by the War Production Board (WPB).

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In the early 1990’s, Michael Jordan’s popularity led to the fast food chain, McDonald’s, creating a hamburger named after the basketball celebrity. The burger claimed to include all of Jordan’s favorite toppings: mustard, cheese, pickles, onions, bacon, and BBQ sauce (called McJordan BBQ sauce). The burger’s run was short, and only sold in the Midwest before it was pulled in 1992. Later it would show up in the news again when a one-gallon jug of McJordan BBQ sauce was sold on eBay for nearly $10,000 in 2012 - twenty years after it had expired.

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George Halas, nicknamed “Papa Bear”, was the founder of the Chicago Bears and coached the team from 1958 to 1967. He officially retired in 1967, but still kept watch over the team and saved his office space at the headquarters. He passed away in 1983 and the following fall when the Bears won the Superbowl in 1985, the team dedicated their win to Halas. When Halas joined the ranks of the ten teams, the league was in its infancy. He was instrumental to its growth and was considered a good coach and person.

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Frank Annunzio, an Italian-American member of the Democratic Party, was first elected to the United States House of Representatives from a Chicago district in 1964. Prior to his political career, Annunzio was a high school teacher and a labor leader of the United Steelworkers of America. He was state Secretary of Labor from 1949 to 1952, under Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. Annunzio was reelected thirteen times, serving as a member of Congress from 1965 to 1993, before deciding not to run for reelection. In 1989, Congressman Annunzio attracted nation-wide attention for encouraging credit card holders to cut up or burn their cards to help force down interest rates. He died in 2001 of complications from Parkinson's Disease. 

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Led by coach Mike Ditka, the 1985 Chicago Bears championship football team was widely regarded as one of the most dominant in NFL history. The Bears went 15-1 in the regular season, did not allow the New York Giants to score any points in the divisional round of playoffs, and held the Los Angeles Rams scoreless to win the NFC Championship. The team then went on to defeat the New England Patriots 46-10 to win the Super Bowl. The roster included quarterback Jim McMahon, defensive tackle William "Refrigerator" Perry and running back Walter Payton. 

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The Chicago Bulls basketball team won the NBA Championship in 1991, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in five games during a best-of-seven series. Notably, it was star shooting guard Michael Jordan's first championship; the Bulls would go on to secure a "three-peat" by winning the next two consecutive championship titles. Jordan also won the scoring title and the honor of Most Valuable Player in 1991. The team was coached by Phil Jackson, and small forward Scottie Pippen, power forward Horace Grant, point guard John Paxson and center Bill Cartwright filled out the rest of the starting roster. 

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Led by coach Mike Ditka, the 1985 Chicago Bears championship football team was widely regarded as one of the most dominant in NFL history. The Bears finished the regular season with a 15-1 record and went on to defeat the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. The team released a rap song performed by the players called "Super Bowl Shuffle," which reached Number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for best rhythm and blues performance by a duo or group, but lost to "Kiss" by artist Prince. 

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We Deserve a Living Wage is the rallying cry for proponents of the new Living Wage standard for minimum income levels for Americans.  “Living wage” differs from “minimum wage” in that a living wage is seen as the minimum income an individual needs to earn to support themselves or their family in order to meet basic needs, and bring them above the poverty level.  A minimum wage is typically less than a living wage.  Living wage laws have been passed in several cities, but they do not apply to the population as a whole – only to companies that have government contracts or that receive certain forms of financial assistance from the government. 

Minimum wage laws differ from state to state but they apply to the whole population.  There are many studies being conducted as to what constitutes a living wage, most notably those being published by MIT.  The National Employment Law Project states there are over a dozen legislative or ballot proposals expected to be made in 2016 pushing for living wage increases. 

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The Delano Grape Strike was a labor strike in California that began in September of 1965, and lasted for more than five years. The striking workers, led by Cesar Chavez and others, formed the United Farm Workers and demanded wages equivalent to the federal minimum wage. Through grassroots efforts, including consumer boycotts of non-union grapes, the United Farm Workers succeeded in reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the grape growers in July 1970.