Yellow hat under black text bellow yellow text over worn, blue background.

The hat illustrated on this button represents the famous hat worn by William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson (1869-1944). One major Chicago-area news source called Thompson Illinois's "most corrupt public official" in the state's history. He was the mayor of Chicago from 1915 to 1923, and again from 1927 to 1931. African-Americans often supported the Republican Party because it was the party of Lincoln, and Thompson exploited African-American support by granting special jobs to his black supporters while ostracizing working-class whites. Thompson's actions are stated to have contributed strongly to Chicago's 1919 race riot.  He socialized with and supported gangster Al Capone. During his re-election campaign, he promised to stop police raids related to Prohibition and won by a considerable margin.

Blue caricature of H. Ross Perot next to white, red and blue text over red and white, striped and starred background. 

The button satirically combines H. Ross Perot's 1996 US Presidential campaign slogan, "Americans for Perot," with a joke, "United We're Nuts," from a segment on late night talk show host David Letterman's television show. Letterman's segment, a top ten list titled "Top Ten Rejected Names for Ross Perot's Political Party," aired on September 26, 1995 and the joke was number nine.  

Perot was a third party candidate in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. In both elections, he did not receive any electoral votes, but did receive 19% and 8% of the popular vote, respectively. He ran as an indepentent candidate in 1992, however in 1996 he ran as a candidate for the Reform Party. 

Jugate featuring Hillary Clinton and Mary Gore surrounded by orange banners, a pink heart, presidential inauguration seal over purple background. 

This button dates from the second inauguration US President Bill Clinton, which occurred on January 20, 1997. The images are of Hillary Rodham Clinton, the First Lady and wife of Bill Clinton, and Mary "Tipper" Gore, the wife of US Vice President Al Gore.

Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago, IL and attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts during the 1960s. At Wellesley, she was active in the Young Republicans until her views on civil rights and the Vietnam War changed. After graduation, she attended Yale Law School where she met her future husband. She helped found the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in 1977, and in 1978 was appointed to the Legal Services Corporation's board of directors by then US President Jimmy Carter. She was on the board of the New World Foundation from 1982-1988 and the Arkansas Children's Hospital Legal Services from 1988-1992. She was also active in working to remove gender bias in legal professions and served as the American Bar Association council's chair from 1987-1991. After Bill Clinton was elected president, she continued to work towards health care reform and women's equality.

A portrait of Albert J. Beveridge between black text above and below and decorative "s" symbols on right and left on a yellowed background. 

The image on this button is that of Albert J. Beveridge. Beveridge was born in 1862 in Ohio. He later became a United States Senator from Indiana and was known for his oratory skills.

Round jugate black and white images of Reagan and Bush with gold rays of light in background, with an illustration of lady liberty in front of the American flag in the lower half of the button. 

The button dates from the 1980 US presidential campaign, and features the Republication cadidate for president Ronald Regean and his vice presidential candidate, George H.W. Bush.   

Reagan was born in Illinois and moved to California to become an actor. He left acting to pursue policice, and served as California's governor from 1967-1975 and unsuccessfully ran for president in 1976. Bush was born in Massachusetts and his father, Prescott Bush (1895-1972), was Wall Street banker and US Senator for Connecticut. Bush, like his father, was also an elected official. He was a member of the US House for Texas, then served appointments as both the US Ambassador to the UN and the director of the CIA. In the 1980 presidential election, Reagan and Bush soundly defeated the Democratic candidates Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale, receiving 489 of the 538. 

Red text over and below a yellow bean shape next to a blue downward pointing arrow with white text over a black background. 

Launched in 1989 on Rush Street, Boogie’s Diner Chicago combined a 1950’s American diner with a clothing store with a focus on contemporary fashion for men and women age 15 to 35.  It was part of Merry-Go-Round Enterprises, which filed for bankruptcy in 1994.

Black text on a brown background with two animals on their hind legs leaning towards an emblem, and a light blue banner.

This was an advertisement for the iconic Stetson Hats, and the image was the company crest between 1865-1900. The crest evolved over time and changed almost every decade. Founded by John B. Stetson in 1865, the design of the hat was named "Boss of the Plains" to weather the harsh conditions of the American West. Stetson learned the trade of hat making from his father, Stephen Stetson, a successful hatter who ran the No Name Company. Stetson hats were popular with cowboys and military servicemen. It eventually became associated with the Old West and was worn by notable historical figures such as Annie Oakley, Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and George Custer.

On a white background is a blue outlined with yellow type of animal

In 1943, Kellogg's PEP cereal featured premiums which featured set of military insignia buttons. The set is known as the “Pep War Insignia Pins” and features 36 WWII military squadron emblems such as the blue and yellow emblem for the 391st Bombardment Squadron which saw action in France during World War II.The buttons were created for Kellogg's by the legendary "Premium King" Sam Gold. The Kellogg's Pep cereal brand sponsored radio programs and was known for giving away premium items such as trading cards, badges, and pinback buttons.

Red heart next to blue bubble text and red text over white background. 

This is a variation of the I heart NY logo that was created in 1977 by Milton Glaser for an ad campaign created by advertising agency Wells Rich Greene. The marketing campaign was sought by then-Deputy Commissioner William S. Doyle to increase tourism in the state of New York. The campaign was a wild success. The original sketch of the logo is permanently on display at the MOMA.

The logo has become iconic in pop-culture and has been imitated in many forms around the world.

Red heart with an arrow through it next to black text over white background. 

This is a variation of the "I heart NY" logo that was created in 1977 by Milton Glaser for an ad campaign created by advertising agency Wells Rich Greene. The marketing campaign was sought by then-Deputy Commissioner William S. Doyle to increase tourism in the state of New York. The campaign was a wild success. The original sketch of the logo is permanently on display at the MOMA. The logo has become iconic in pop-culture and has been imitated in many forms around the world.

Yellowknife is located on the shore of the Great Slave Lake, roughly 250 miles south of the Arctic Circle and home to nearly 20 thousand people. The Dogrib people originally settled the area. People of European descent began settling the area after the discovery of gold, uranium, and silver in the 1930s. Today, its population is diverse, but the majority of its population is of European descent. Its economy is fueled by the oil, gas, and mining industries. Diamonds are so important that the city's motto is the "Diamond Capital of North America."