White text and a white ecology symbol on a light green background

George McGovern was a politician from South Dakota who was active between 1957 and 1984. In 1962, he won himself a Senate seat and won re-election in the state in 1968. McGovern would utilize a grassroots campaign and surprisingly win the Democratic nomination. An active member of the convention, McGovern had enacted policies that gave greater representation to minorities, helping him secure the victory. 

McGovern was ahead of his time and campaigned for an immediate end to the Vietnam War. He is considered a reformer politician for trying to make Democrats lean to more liberal social and economic policies. These radical ideas would have a negative consequence of splitting the party. As a result of not have a unified party backing him, McGovern lost by a large margin to incumbent President Nixon.

Blue text and blue trim on a white button. 

Richard M. Daley was Chicago's mayor for a then-record breaking five terms. In 1967, Daley entered the race for his fourth term against Republican nominee John L. Waner. In the past, Daley had failed to receive support from the white electorate, though he was reelected due to overwhelming support among black Chicago voters. In 1967, Daley adopted a much more conservative stance on race, attempting to win back the white voters by planning a housing redesign that cleared slums and "protected" white citizens against the "encroachment" of black families. Daley won the election in a landslide, taking all 50 city wards and receiving more votes than he had in all three previous elections.

Black text and black and white photographs on a white background

During the United States presidential election of 1976 the democratic candidate was Georgia Governor, Jimmy Carter, along with his running mate, Minnesota Senator, Walter Mondale. The opposition was republican candidate Gerald Ford and his running mate, Bob Dole. Carter narrowly won the election with 297 electoral votes, 23 states plus Washington DC, and 50.1% of the popular vote. 

White text with illustration to make the shape of a donkey on a green background

In 1976, Jimmy Carter won the democratic nomination and ran for president against incumbent President Ford. Carter’s political experience included a term as a senator in the 1960’s before becoming the governor of Georgia from 1971-1975. Gerald Ford, a Republican, had taken over as president after Nixon’s resignation in 1974 and many people were upset that Ford had pardoned Nixon, creating tensions. Carter ran as an underdog and Washington outsider, someone who would be a good change for America. Carter’s name is spelled to look like a donkey, the mascot of the Democratic Party. Many of Carter’s campaign materials were green to pay homage to his roots as a peanut farmer, which is a departure from the typical red, white, and blue color scheme of political memorabilia.

Photograph of Linda Ronstadt between a Democratic donkey symbol and the number 80 with black text on the top and bottom edges on a white background

Linda Ronstadt met Jerry Brown in 1971. At the time, he was California's Secretary of State, and her career in music had not yet made her famous. By 1975, Ronstadt's album "Heart Like a Wheel" was climbing the charts.  Brown announced his candidacy for President of the United States in March 1976. His bid for the presidency was unsuccessful, but in November 1979, he announced he would again seek the Democratic nomination in 1980. Ronstadt performed several benefit concerts for Brown, and the public began referring to her as the First Lady. Brown ended his campaign on April 1, 1980. Although the two were occasionally seen together in the early 1980s, they eventually parted ways.

Illustration of a red fez bearing the Shriner symbol with green text on the top and bottom edge on a white background

The Zamora Shrine Center is a Shriners International temple in Birmingham, Alabama. The Shriners International fraternal organization was established in 1870 and founded on Masonic principles. The Shrine Circus was founded in 1906. It now travels across the United States and Canada, holding performances as fundraisers for the organization.

White block text on black banner in the center with WLS AM 89 & FM 95 on the top left and a tongue sticking out of an open mouth on bottom right all on a white background

WLS (AM) and WLS (FM) are sister radio stations that still air today in Chicago, IL. While they were originally branded together as WLS AM & FM, recent years have given them their own identities. The pairing became known as, “The station for the concerts,” in the 1970’s when they innovatively began to broadcast live shows of bands. In 1981, the band, The Rolling Stones, was invited by the stations to perform a show for their “Tattoo You” album tour. This concert may have not happened without the influence of the stations.

Color illustration of a clown with black text on the top and bottom edge on a bright yellow background

This button is a souvenir from one of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey performances at Madison Square Garden and may have sported ribbons at one point. The circus has long been associated with this particular venue, as Barnum rented Cornelius Vanderbilt's old Madison Avenue railroad train sheds in 1874 to house his Monster Classical and Geological Hippodrome arena. The arena showcased chariot races, a museum, and a variety of performers. Vanderbilt repurchased the property in 1879 and christened it Madison Square Garden. On March 29, 1919, the arena hosted the inaugural performance of the combined Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey show, and the circus revisits this location every year.

Blue text and an illustration of a red spoked circle on a white background

On February 3, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day by issuing a proclamation to set aside one day a year to celebrate the U.S. legal system. Every president since then has issued an annual Law Day Proclamation. Law Day was originally the idea of American Bar Association President, Charles Rhyne. On April 7, 1961, Congress passed a Joint Resolution designating May 1 as Law Day (Title 36, Section 113, U.S. Code). Every year the ABA designates a theme to highlight an important issue related to the legal system and publishes an annual Law Day Planning Guide with lesson plans and ideas for classroom programs for law schools and colleges to implement.

Red text on white background with illustrated ice delivery man character wearing ice skates. 

The Ice Capades started in 1940 and were traveling acts which featured entertaining performances involving ice skating. Former Olympic and United States champion ice skaters were frequently showcased. "Icey the Ice Man" was an illustrated character of an ice-delivery man wearing ice skates. Icey appeared on collectibles such as felt pennants and was made into a doll that was available for purchase during the 1950s Ice Capades tours. Although the show went out of business around 1995, there have been continued attempts to revamp and revive the tours. The Ice Capades 75th Diamond Jubilee Celebration, a reunion of Ice Capades alumni and staff, took place in Las Vegas in 2015.