Blue and white photograph of a man's head in a space suit with red text along the top outer edge on a white background.

On February 20, 1962, as part of Project Mercury, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth and the fifth man in space. The intent of Glenn’s mission was to not only to put a man into orbit but also to observe his reactions to the environment of space and most importantly return him safely to Earth. With Glenn’s safe return he instantly became a national hero. His flight was commemorated with numerous souvenir items including buttons like this.

Black and white photograph of a man's head and shoulders wearing a space suite in the center of the button with red text along the outer edge on a white background.

John H. Glenn Jr. is a retired American astronaut, naval pilot, and politician. Glenn is best known for being the first person to orbit the earth. On February 20, 1962, Glenn's space capsule, the Friendship 7 orbited the Earth three times at an average speed of more than 17,000 miles per hour. He then landed in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda. Glenn and his spacecraft were recovered by a United States Navy destroyer called the Noa.

Illustration of a white, black and red space shuttle flying in black space with stars over a blue planet inside a hexagon with a thin red outline then a grey outline with red and purple text, then a thin purple outline surrounded by a white background.

Challenger STS-6, more commonly referred to as "Challenger 6", refers to a mission undertaken by NASA between April 4- April 9, 1983. Challenger was the name of the space shuttle utilized during the mission, while the number 6 refers to the fact that it was the sixth mission undertaken by the NASA space program. Challenger 6 featured the first spacewalk undertaken as part of the NASA space shuttle program. It also featured the first deployment of a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.The names of the Astronauts that took part in the mission were: Paul J. Weitz, Karol J. Bobko, Donald H. Peterson, and F. Story Musgrave.

Illustration of a white eagle flying across the inner circle of the button with a wing depicted as the American flag on a blue sky background with two stars and an illustartion of a space shuttle. This is in the center of the button with a thin white ring around it followed by a thicker grey ring and a thicker white outer ring.

Columbia STS-2 was the official name of the second mission attempted by NASA's space shuttle program as well as the second voyage of the Columbia space shuttle. The operation began on November 12, 1981 and ended on November 14, 1981.The mission was originally supposed to last 5 days, but was shortened to 2 days due to the failure of a fuel cell. The name of the commander of the mission was Joseph H. Engle, while the Pilot was Richard H. Truly. The space shuttle orbited the earth approximately 37 times during which the astronauts conducted scientific experiments.

White text on a backgound of speckled blue, pink, dark blue, and green over a curved pink bottom with black text on top.

Voyager 2 is the name of an unmanned spacecraft that was launched on August 20, 1977. The vessel contains a golden phonographic record that contains greetings in 55 languages, sounds, and images meant to portray life on earth if it were to meet extraterrestrial life forms. The spacecraft's primary mission was to transmit data related to Jupiter and Saturn.Later on the mission was extended to provide data on Uranus and Neptune and eventually extended to provide data on the edge of the solar system and beyond. Voyager 2 reached Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1981. By 1986 Voyager 2 had reached Uranus, while in 1989 it had reached Neptune. The spacecraft is currently in the outer reaches of the solar system.

Read more about the History of NASA buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Blue text on a white background

This button is opposing Franklin Roosevelt for President in 1940. The 'Fireside Chats" were the series of evening addresses on national radio delivered by then President Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944. These chats enabled Roosevelt to speak directly to the American people in their homes and promoted his New Deal programs and later war effort. Millions of people found comfort and renewed confidence in these speeches, especially during the Depression and war time. In 1940, the opposition put out this button to stall his campaign for a third term. 

A photograph of a man with a mustache wearing a black suit in front of a blue and white background. Below is a red rose; attached to the rose's stem is a blue ribbon with white text.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was the 26th President of the United States, from 1901 to 1909. He began the 1901-1905 term as Vice-President to William McKinley but rose to the presidency on March 4, 1901 when the latter was assassinated. Roosevelt then ran for president for a second term and won the election of 1904. This button promoted him as a candidate during that campaign and is an example of a rebus, an allusional device that uses pictures or images to represent words or parts of words, in this case a rose. 

A black line drawing of an insect's body with a photograph of the head of a man holds up an ear trumpet; above it is black text. All on a white background.

Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) was the 37th President of the United States, from 1969 until 1974. He was halfway through his second term when he was impeached and then resigned from the presidency. On June 17, 1972, burglars broke into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. About a year later, it was discovered that the five intruders were agents of the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the official organization of Richard Nixon's reelection campaign. It was found that wiretapping of the offices had also occurred. The ensuing "Watergate scandal" led to to Nixon's impeachment and then resignation. Nixon was the first and only U.S. president to ever resign.

Blue text on a white background.

Richie Havens (1941-2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. As a performer, he straddled the genres of folk, soul, and rhythm & blues. Born Richard Pierce Havens in Brooklyn, he was known for his intense strumming and singing styles and rose to fame in the late 1960s. In 1969, he performed at the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York, which greatly increased his popularity. His most notable songs include "Freedom" and a cover of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun". He was also an activist and especially supported the causes of Native American rights and ecological/environmental issues.