A photograph of a man wearing sunglasses playing the guitar on a black background all in a yellow hue.

Devo is an American rock band which formed in 1973. They are often easily recognizable by their unique costumes, which sometimes includes yellow jump suits and red cone shaped hats. Their first major single to chart high was “Whip It” in 1980, which has since become known for its strange content. Many of their songs include surrealistic and satirical themes.

On October 14, 1978, Devo was featured as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. The previous week had featured The Rolling Stones, and Devo followed their performance by covering “(I Cant’ Get No) Satisfaction,” a popular song by the Stones.

Black text on a light green background with an illustration of a person wearing red and skiing

Wausau is the seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin. The Wausau Ski Club was formed in the 1920s to promote winter sports and activities, especially skiing. The club was in charge of the ski tournaments of the 1927, 1928 and 1929 Wausau Winter Frolics. A 40-foot high ski slide was built at Rothschild Park in 1926, which helped ski jumping to gain popularity. A smaller ski slide was built on the west side of the Wisconsin River during the winter of 1929-1930, which was used by the children in the area. Beyond skiing, Winter Frolic events included hockey tournaments, skating, and curling. 

The Marathon County Historical Society has an award plaque and a skating trophy from the 1929 Wausau Winter Frolic in the collection. 

Red button with black text. A black illustration of worker is in the left corner and a white flag with red text is on the right side of the button. 

International Workers' Day, known as Labor Day or May Day, celebrated on May 1, is a celebration of organized labor and the working class. However, this holiday and date is sometimes used for protests and demonstrations around the world centered on the rights of the working class. While the day was initially conceived as a day for organized labor and working class individuals to protest around the world, in the first decades of the twentieth century, the labor movement continued to sponsor parades and other events but on a less regular basis than in the past, with some cities going years at a time between marches, only holding them at moments of crisis. 

On May 1, 1981, millions around the world observed May Day from Moscow’s annual procession through Red Square to a tea ceremony for model laborers hosted by Taiwan President Chiang Ching-kuo. Other demonstrations that year included a march of 50,000 in Warsaw, events at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and demonstrations in Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, and Iran. In Los Angeles, a march sponsored by the Revolutionary Communist Party went through downtown over to MacArthur Park and back again with no arrests or violence.

Blue stars on top and bottom, black text on white background and donkey illustration in the center. 

The 1980 National Convention of the United States Democratic Party was held from August 11 to August 14, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy challenged incumbent President Jimmy Carter during the Democratic primary elections and tried unsuccessfully to get Carter's delegates released from their voting obligations at the convention. President Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale accepted the party's nomination, but lost the general election on November 4, 1980 to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. 

lllustration of King Kong at the top of the Empire State Building with black text above and below on a white background

The Empire State Building in Manhattan was the tallest building in the world for almost 40 years.  Its 102 story height of 1,454 feet was topped by the North Tower of the original World Trade Center in 1970.  A cultural icon, the Empire State Building has been a central location in a number of films.  One of the best known is 1933’s King Kong.  In the film, the giant ape makes his way to the top of the building while trying to escape his captors.  The Empire State Building is a popular tourist destination and offers observation decks on both the 86^th and 102^nd floors.

Blue text on a white background.

From June 14 to June 16, 1932, Chicago, Illinois was the host city for the Republican National Convention which was held at the newly completed Chicago Stadium, the largest indoor arena in the world at the time.  The U.S. was in the third year of the Great Depression, and many delegates cancelled their hotel reservations and stayed home.  As a result, only one-third of the stadium was filled on the opening day of the convention. 

The convention re-nominated President Herbert Hoover and Vice President Charles Curtis. Hoover’s only opponent for the nomination was Senator Joseph France, but the public address system cut out during his speech, and Hoover was nominated on the first ballot.  Hoover went on to lose all but six states of the presidential election to Franklin Roosevelt.

Animal trainer Clyde Beatty holds one of his big cat cubs with white text on a dark background on the top and bottom edge

Clyde Beatty literally ran away and joined the circus. In 1921, he hopped on a freight train and joined the Howes Great London Circus in Ohio. He worked with the animal trainer and debuted his own animal act in 1923. Eventually, he developed his trademark show with lions and tigers, incorporating a chair, whip, and gun. He created the Clyde Beatty Circus, which was later purchased by the Acme Circus Operating Corporation and renamed the Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus. It was donated to Florida State University in 1981 by the remaining Acme owner. One of the show managers purchased it from the university and changed the name to Cole Bros. Circus. To see images of Clyde and his big cats see the source below.

Black and white photograph of a woman on a blue background with black text

Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Judy Carne (1939-2015) was born Joyce Autrey Botterill in Northampton, England.  She is best known for her portrayal of the “sock it to me” girl from the Laugh-In series where she appeared from 1968-1970.  Carnes line, “sock it to me,” was usually followed by being dowsed with a bucket of water or falling through a trap door, or some other kind of indignity.  Her life post-Laugh-In consisted of a few Broadway appearances, two marriages (Burt Reynolds and Robert Bergmann), and problems with drug addiction and alcohol.  In 1985 Carnes published an autobiography titled Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside.  In her later years, she returned to England and enjoyed a quiet life in the city in which she was born.

Black and white photograph of a woman on a blue background with black text

Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Jo Ann Worley (b. 1937), appeared in the first three seasons of the show, and went on to make appearances as a guest start in numerous television shows and game shows.  Best known for her boisterous voice, Worley stated that as a child she would lip-sync in church so as not to drawn out the other parishioners.  Recently, Worley appeared as the voice of Armoire the Wardrobe in the popular video games Kingdom Hearts I and II.

Black and white photograph of a man with black text on a blue and on a red background

Laugh-In was a popular American sketch comedy television show created by Dan Rowen and Dick Martin.  The show, which consisted of 140 episodes, ran from 1968-1973.  The title was a play on words reflecting the “love-ins” and “sit-ins” common in the 1960s hippie culture and civil rights movements.  Skits from the show featured regular cast members and special guest stars and became the launching platform for stars such as Goldie Hawn, Lilly Tomlin and Arte Johnson.  Laugh-In became the #1 television show in America within two months of its debut.

Henry Gibson (1935-2009), born James Bateman, was the flower-holding poet from the television series.  After earning a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America, Gibson served in the Air Force as an intelligence officer with the 66^th Tactical Reconnaissance in France from 1957-1960.  As a civilian returning to America, he roomed with Jon Voight, a college pal, and the two came up with an act depicting 2 brothers from the Ozarks who wreaked havoc wherever they went.  One of the brothers Voight dubbed “Henry Gibson” and the name stuck.

When Gibson auditioned for the Laugh-In series, he read a poem and did a back-flip.  The show’s executive producer was so impressed he told Gibson to show up for work on Monday.  All of the poems Gibson performed on the show were his creation.  Gibson’s later professional career included numerous television and film appearances and he earned the National Society of Film Critics’ award for best supporting actor in Nashville.