Orange text over blue background. 

Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich (born 1943) was Georgia's Sixth Congressional District Representative from 1979 to 1999. The dislike for Gingrich began when he became the Speaker of the House and was projected into the national political media. In 1994, he and Richard Armey authored the "Contract with America," which helped usher in the Republican Revolution. The contract dealt with conservative causes such as reducing the federal deficit and budget, welfare "reform," and job "creation." Interestingly, it did not include any conservative "moral" issues such as fidelity to one's spouse or ethical behavior. The omission was good for Gingrich, as he was encouraged by Republican leadership to step down as Speaker under ethics violations in January of 1999. In 2000, Gingrich divorced his second wife when she refused to enter into an open marriage with him. Within a few months, he legitimated his then seven-year relationship with a House staff member twenty-three years his younger by marrying her.

Black and white print of Napoleon-ified Nixon above red text over white background. 

This button compares the political defeats of former US President Richard Nixon to those of France's Napoleon Bonaparte. Richard M. Nixon's (1913-1994) second term was a difficult one. During his reelection campaign in 1972, the Nixon Administration was involved in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee's Washington, D. C. headquarters. By 1973, Nixon's staff had been brought to testify before Congress. During the testimonies, it was discovered that Nixon used tape recorders in the Oval Office. Nixon resigned his presidency in 1974, amidst impeachment proceeding in the House of Representatives.

In June 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) lost a military battle to Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), the First Duke of Wellington, in Belgium at a place named Waterloo. It was a surprising victory. Napoleon seized power of France in 1799, claimed himself emperor in 1804, was exiled in 1812, and escaped only to return to again rule France for a short time before the battle of Waterloo. The defeat so shocked the French, that Napoleon abdicated within days and handed political power to his son.

Red outlined, peace sign wielding, streaking Nixon between blue text over white background. 

The years between 1972 and 1974 were difficult for US President Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994). In 1972, the Nixon Administration was involved in the break-in and bugging of the Democratic National Committee's Washington, D. C. headquarters. By 1973, Nixon's staff had been brought to testify about his involvement before Congress. During the testimonies, it was discovered that Nixon had tape recorders in the Oval Office. Nixon resigned his presidency in 1974, amidst impeachment proceeding in the House of Representatives.  

The years between 1972 and 1974, however, were good for streaking, the process of running naked in public. Streaking became a part of American popular culture in the aftermath of the free love youth movements in the 1960s. This button shows Nixon partaking in the fad, his hands in the V-sign.

The V-sign meant peace to the free love youth movements of the 1960s, but it also symbolized victory (among other things).  General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) famously used the sign in 1945 to symbolize end of WWII.  Nixon, Eisenhower's Vice President for eight years, used it during his famous Vietnam War victory claim. 

Read more about the History of Streaking Buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Map of the U.S. in the shape of an elephant under black text over yellow background. 

The button is from the 1968 US Presidential campaign. The Republican Party ran Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) and Spiro T. Agnew (1918-1996) against the Democrats, Hubert H. Humphrey, Jr. (1911-1978) and Edmund S. Muskie (1914-1996). The 1968 campaign was about international affairs—Nixon had a history of taking a hardline against communism and had a clear advantage with the general public. The Nixon-Agnew ticket soundly beat Humphrey-Muskie by a margin of 110 Electoral College votes.

During his first term, Nixon worked to deescalate the Vietnam War; became the first US President in office to visit China; attempted to stop the spread of communism in Latin America; advanced nuclear peace talks with the USSR; and began aiding US allies in the Middle East without direct military operations.

White text over blue background. Union bug. 

Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich, born in 1943, became the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995. His popularity plummeted after orchestrating the 1995 Government Shut-downs. Support for him further dwindled in 1996, when his welfare reforms were vetoed by President Clinton.

Black text over white background. 

This button likely refers to Geraldine Ferraro who was Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale's running mate in the 1984 election against incumbent Ronald Reagan. Though not a presidential candidate in her own right, Ms. Ferraro was the first female vice-presidential candidate representing a major American political party. The Democratic duo lost to Reagan by a landslide.

Black and white portrait of George McGovern sandwiched between red and white stripes between white text over blue background. 

George McGovern was the Democratic nominee for President in 1972, losing to incumbent Richard Nixon in a landslide. Before running for president, McGovern represented South Dakota in the House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961 and served in the Senate from 1962 to 1968. McGovern vocally opposed the Vietnam war and his campaign primarily ran on the promotion of peace. McGovern, a self-described liberal, saw the human costs of war firsthand as a bomber pilot in World War II and continued to actively oppose foreign conflicts after his retirement from politics.

Side-by-side portraits of George McGovern and Thomas Eagleton encircled by white text over red and blue border over white background. 

In 1972, George McGovern and Thomas Eagleton ran for US President and Vice President, respectively, for the Democratic Party. At the time, both candidates were US Senators: McGovern for South Dakota and Eagleton for Missouri. Their campaign rested on the withdrawal of US military from Vietnam, amnestry for draft dodgers, women's reproductive rights, a small redistribution of wealth, and the legalization of marijuana. Their campaign positions led to labor unions and Southern Democrats starting an "Anybody but McGovern" campaign.  

At the 1972 Democratic Convention, a series of party process missteps resulted in McGovern giving his speech at 3 a.m., which reduced the television audience to only 15 million. To make the campaign even more difficult, it was uncovered that Eagleton suffered from bi-polar disorder and had ungone electroshock treatment during the 1960s. Although the polls suggested that Eagleton's health was not a factor for the vast majority of the population, the press viewed it as an important issue. Eagleton withdrew his candidancy and Robert Shriver, Jr. took his place on the ballot.

The campaign was so disastrous that McGovern's Republican opponent, Richard Nixon (1913-1994), commenced a Democrats for Nixon campaign to win over undecided democrats. Nixon resoundedly defeated McGovern, who only received 17 electoral votes—Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.

Grumpy, personified light bulb under black and red text over grey background. 

Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. While he began his presidency with widespread approval, support for Johnson declined as the public became further upset with both the war and the growing violence at home. Johnson infamously escalated American involvement in the Vietnam War, which stimulated a large, angry antiwar movement. Johnson faced further troubles when summer riots broke out in most major cities after 1965, and crime rates soared. The Democratic Party split into multiple feuding factions, and after Johnson did poorly in the 1968 New Hampshire primary, he ended his bid for reelection.

A black and white photograph of Lee A. Iacocca below white text on a black background. 

In 1983 and 1984, a small contingent of Americans supported a presidential bid from Republican Lee A. Iacocca. Iacocca was the CEO, Chairman, and President of the Chrysler Corporations, an automobile company, at the time. Supporters believed Iacocca's ability to bring Chrysler back from the brink of bankruptcy with the assistance of guaranteed government loans would help the sluggish American economy. Automobile dealers from across America contributed finances for a campaign, however at the urging of his mother and friends, Iacocca decided against running. President Ronald Reagan was reelected in the 1984 election and Reagan offered a cabinet position to Iacocca. He refused the appointment but accepted Reagan's offer as chairperson of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.  

Iacocca was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  He received his undergraduate degree from Lehigh University, and attended graduate school at Princeton University.