Blue text and illustration of a person on a white background with a blue border.

In 1917, cartoonist Sidney Smith created a comic strip, The Gumps, for the Chicago Tribune. Smith reached a wide audience by telling tales of everyday American life through the eyes of a middle-class couple, Andy and Minerva Gump. While complaining to his wife, Minerva, Andy would exclaim “Oh Min!” 

The Gumps was the first comic to portray real social issues, such as pandemics, finances, and relationships. The readers were invested in the love stories, adventures, and deaths experienced by the comic’s characters. The Gumps was the first syndicated comic, and the first to depict a character’s death. 

Blue text and illustration of a doll holding a flower on a white background with a blue border.

Johnson Smith & Company began in Chicago, Illinois in 1914 as a mail-order novelty and gag gift supplier, settling in Racine, Wisconsin in 1926. Johnson Smith & Co. or Johnson Smith Company sold an array of toys including pinback buttons with suggestive slogans meant as ice breakers.  Their 1929 catalogue touts, “These Buttons provide subjects for pleasant jokes and amusing conversations, and thus smooth the way to a more familiar acquaintance and cordial friendship. They are very wittily worded and quite unobjectionable. Wear one and see the effect.”

The expression "Won't you be my baby?" was widely used in the 1920s and 1930s, reflecting a forthright and often earnest invitation to embark on a romantic relationship, which mirrored the romantic and social conventions of the time. It was especially common in popular music of the day: Benny Carter's "Will You Or Won't You Be My Baby?" from the late 1920s and Louis Armstrong's 1930 hit "Won't You Be My Baby" are just two of many hits to include the phrase.

Black text on white background and red checkerboard print along edge.

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The top half has black text over a white background, while the bottom half has white text over a purple background.  Underneath the main text is a white Graphic Communications International Union Logo.

It's not just women who are active in the fight for gender equality. Men regularly participate in political activism as allies for women’s rights and feminist causes and pro-feminist men take part in anti-violence campaigns that challenge the patriarchy. As allies, these male supporters believe in the safety and freedom from gendered and sexual violence for all women.

Blue helmet with an orange logo over a white and orange crest. "Chicago" is on a white ribbon above the crest, while "Bears" is at the top of the crest. In between the text and helmet are blue stars. In the background is a green football field with numbers and markers. The rim is metallic. 

The Chicago Bears are a professional football team that plays in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The franchise began in 1919 and was known as the Decatur Staleys until 1922 when the team changed its name to the Chicago Bears. The Bears are considered one of the most successful football franchises with eight NFL championships and one Super Bowl win. 

Red text over a white background. "Physics" and "Nature" are curved along the top and bottom, while the rest of the text is centered and straight. 

Science is sometimes referenced as a hybrid between poetry and logic or intuition and mathematics. When creating definitions, principles, or laws they become statements of observed patterns that are put into words and equations. Poets exploit the flexibility of language to create new impressions that stretch the limits of words. Physicists who practice science may sometimes find themselves in similar situations. A physicist must prevent the flexibility of words from causing confusion. Owing to the important relationship between physics and poetry, the Society of Physics Students (SPS) used to distribute a lapel button that declared “PHYSICS IS THE POETRY OF NATURE”. 

Blue text over a tan/yellow background. At the bottom right is a black illustration of a dog with bloody paw prints, and at the top left is a red illustration of the front of a car. 

Karma is a concept found across Indian religions that is defined as the impact of one's intent and actions on their future, including reincarnated ones. Dogma, meanwhile, refers to the doctrine laid down by an authoritative body like a church. This is a humorous intellectual spin, then, on an unfortunate automobile accident, highlighting the power of the individual against the system.

Greyscale photograph of smiling Beatles members over a white background, surrounded by red text. 

In 1964, British rock group The Beatles were promoting the release of their feature film debut A Hard Days’ Night\. The marketing of the film included the creation of buttons like this one, meant to draw hype to the movie and encourage ticket sales.

Black text (except for "German" which is red) over a white background. Above the text is an illustration of a man's head wearing a green Bavarian hat.

“Kraut” is the German word for cabbage. During World War I and II, it was common for soldiers to refer to the Germans as “Krauts,” as a derogatory term. “Sour” is often used as a synonym for grumpy.

This play on words also references delicious sauerkraut (a combination of the German words for “sour” and “cabbage”). This dish came to Germany in the 1600s. It is a mixture of pickled cabbage. Did you know sauerkraut is a superfood? It is great for digestion, containing vitamin C, potassium, B6, iron and magnesium. The pickling process makes this food healthy, low-calorie and delicious! 
 

Photograph of Bobby in a black, green, and white striped shirt, with red and yellow text at the bottom. 

The Brady Bunch was an American sitcom which ran from 1969 to 1974. The series follows the blended Brady family as they learn to live under the same roof. The show remains both a pop cultural icon and a site of constant ridicule in its depiction of the American family.

Bobby Brady is the youngest son of the family. He is often picked on for being little but proves himself by saving the day in many episodes.