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Marc Smith, born in Chicago in 1940, is a poet, creator of the poetry slam, and founder of the International Poetry Slam Movement. Smith devised the plan to put on poetry performances as a way to make poetry more interesting. He believed that schools did not do poetry justice and was the reason poetry repelled people. He began the movement as an “Up Yours” to establishment poets as he considered them snooty and boring. Smith hosted his first poetry slam at the Get Me High Lounge in 1986. In 1987, Smith found a permanent home for his poetry slam events at the Green Mill Tavern. Since then, Smith has performed in nightclubs, concert halls, libraries, universities, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institute, and many other venues around the world.

In one of his shows, Smith put on a performance dressed as Dr. John C. Spray. In this one-man show, Smith dressed as the eccentric turn-of the century coroner, “alienist”, and, at one time, an asylum superintendent. In the show, Smith performed monologues which focused on Dr. Spray’s macabre side. Smith’s monologues told the stories of Dr. Spray’s time as the Cook County Coroner. This show was performed in the 1990s.

An interesting fact about Dr. Spray is that he belonged to the Whitechapel Club. The Whitechapel Club was formed in 1889 by newspapermen who named Jack the Ripper the club president. Inside the club, one would find many macabre items including skulls, weapons, bloodied clothes, and debris from the Chicago fire. Dr. Spray supplied the skulls, which were turned into gas lamps and goblets. 

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Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an American cartoonist and inventor who is best known for his cartoon depictions of impossibly complicated machines to accomplish simple mundane tasks. Goldberg is the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as an adjective.

Goldberg was a founding member and first president of the National Cartoonists Society, whose Reuben Award for cartoonist of the year is named after him. He received a Pulitzer Prize for his political cartooning in 1948, and in 1995 was honored with a commemorative stamp as part of the "Comic Strip Classics" series from the U.S. Postal Service.

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Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde is a Jewish mutant superhero who is also known as Shadowcat in the Marvel comic series X-Men. At the age of 13 years old, Kitty enrolled in Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters after experiencing headaches which were a result of mutant powers emerging; she became the youngest member to join the ranks of the X-men. Kitty possesses the ability to pass through solid matter. While being attacked by the Brood, Kitty met the small dragon Lockheed, who she kept as a pet. 

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It's difficult to imagine a world without a standardized way to dispose of and reuse your waste; however, until World War II, recycling was merely a figment of one's imagination. To aid the war effort, Americans began to collect products—tin cans, cooking oils, and other metal-based waste—which could be reused by the military. By the 1960s, the concept of recycling as a way to  benefit the environment became more widely accepted; curbside pickup quickly became the norm and environmental legislations began to be introduced in local, state, and national governments. Since then, recycling rates have increased to 32% in 2023, making the world a cleaner place.

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In a 1976 ad campaign for traveler's cheques, American Express popularized the phrase “don’t leave home without them.” This phrase was updated for future ads regarding their credit card: “don’t leave home without it.” American Express filed to trademark the phrase in 1978, and their ads in the following years featured a number of celebrities. Used in popular culture in a number of different ways, the phrase here likely indicates an anti-war sentiment. 

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Hassan Cigarettes, a brand under the umbrella of the American Tobacco Company, were made with a Turkish tobacco blend and famously known for their corked tip. During the 1910s, as an incentive for purchasing Hassan cigarettes, consumers received a free button or baseball card with every pack. The company contracted popular comic artists including Bud Fisher, T.E. Powers, R.L. Goldberg, "Tad", and Gus Mager to provide illustrations for the buttons. These buttons became quick collectibles, however their prevalence was short-lived. In 1911, President Taft enforced the Sherman Antitrust Act against the American Tobacco Company to control its monopolistic practices. As a result, Hassan Cigarettes and their collectible buttons faded out of the market completely by the 1930s. 

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The ad campaign “Got Milk” is said to be one of the most successful campaigns in U.S. history. What caused this sudden need to sell more milk? Well, a look back at the history of milk consumption will give us the answer! Until the invention of refrigeration and pasteurization, drinking milk was not as popular as it is today. Once the invention of these technologies, plus government intervention was implemented, the milk industry began to boom. By WWII, Americans were drinking two to three glasses of milk a day. However, farmers were producing so much milk that the government began using the surplus for school lunches and government supplied cheese.

Milk consumption began to shift again, and by the 1990s, it had decreased by twenty percent. Reasons for the decrease in milk drinkers include the fact that Americans dined out more often, and the idea that milk was perceived as a child’s beverage and the population under eighteen was shrinking as it was the post-Baby Boomer years. Another major influence was the marketing and design of other bottled beverages, which began being produced in the 1960s and 70s. The marketing for these beverages were incredibly successful. The bottles were shaped differently, they were more colorful and exciting, and they traveled well. Milk became known as a boring beverage associated with domesticity. It was clear that milk needed an image change. 

The “Got Milk?” campaign was created to increase the consumption of milk in those who already drank milk since research had shown that it is easier than converting new customers. The campaign produced commercials showing people running out of milk during moments when having milk was crucial for success. Another strategy was to make drinking milk cool. More commercials as well as ads were produced to specifically target a young audience. The ads, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, featured celebrities at the peak of their popularity with milk mustaches. The “Got Milk?” Ad became so popular by 2000 that national awareness of the ad was between 80 to 90%. While the campaign was successful in the 1990s, American’s drink preferences have since shifted due to many reasons including climate change, demographic shifts, and veganism. Now, the focus has shifted to marketing other dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. 

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At age 19, Bostonian John Earl took his nickname—Johnny Cupcakes—and created a t-shirt as a joke amongst friends. When he began receiving requests to purchase the t-shirt, he started selling his creations out of his car and on tour with his band. From this, the entrepreneur expanded, creating Johnny Cupcakes in 2001: a clothing company with a very specific design. The aesthetic of the stores are to look and smell like a bakery, with clothing displayed on trays in glass display cases and orders packaged in pastry boxes. The brand's simple logo—a cupcake over crossbones—is very distinctive and the clothier has branched out into other designs and now includes items such as hats, socks, stickers, and buttons. The company is known for their irreverant sense of humor, and has spoofed and collaborated with other popular brands, swapped out logos of other businesses with the Johnny Cupcakes logo, and redesigning characters from video games, television shows, and films. As of 2024, Johnny Cupcakes has eight store locations throughout the United States.