A man in a blue suit sleeps in the air with only his head resting on a blue bar stool. The man is in front of a yellow bar with bottles and glasses on top. Everything is set against a white background. 

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Large black text and smaller green text on a white background.

The Avis car rental company was brought to life at the Detroit airport by Warren Avis in 1946. Being the first company to rent cars from an airport location, it grew quickly and is today one of the most well-known car rental companies with well over 5,000 locations around the globe. The “We Try Harder” advertising and marketing campaign that Avis was instituted in 1963 in order to become more competitive.

An illustration of a man's outline in red running right with a gust of wind behind him.  Red text above the man on a yellow background. 

Armour and Company was founded in Chicago in 1867 by Philip Danforth Armour. It's success made Chicago's meat packing industry the central meat packing location for the country and helped the city of Chicago grow in prominence. 

The "breezy button" collection from Armour Star meat packing company were given free in every package of Armour franks (hot dogs) during the 1950s. The collection had 24 buttons each feature a catchy "breezy slogan." 

Grey and red text with red lines above and below the text. Everything is set against a white background. 

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A scene with dark trees next to a body of water. The sun is just over the mountains in the background.

This button features a version of the Tom Thomson painting “The Jack Pine”. It was completed in 1917, the same year that Thomson died. Thomson was a famous and influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century. This painting is considered one of the most widely reproduced works of art from Canada and the Jack Pine as iconic of the Canadian landscape.

An illusration of a northwest coast salmon on a white background. 

The drawing is named "Skaagi," or more commonly known as "Haida Dog Salmon" by Canadian artist Bill Reid. Reid was born to an European father and a Haida mother. The Haida are indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest, situated in British Columbia, Canada. They are one of the First Nations in Canada. Reid explored his Haida cultural heritage and was deeply inspired by symbols and messages presented in Haida art.

The salmon is the main food source for the people of the Pacific Northwest, and the Haida people considered themselves "salmon people." According to legend, salmons are humans with eternal life. In springtime, the people dress in salmon disguises to feed the villagers and after consumption the villagers throw the skeleton back in the ocean, so the spirits would rise again and change back into human form. Therefore, the salmon is to be respected because it is both human and spirit.

Reid was a champion of the Haida people. He celebrated and defended his people by using his fame to support their land claims. He introduced the world to the art and people of the Pacific Northwest. 

An illustration of four jockeys riding hoses in different/several directions. 

Edgar Degas is a famous French artist who lived from 1834 – 1917. This work, Racehorses, was a work in progress from 1895 to 1899 and was made using pastels to paint. There are two other versions of this work that show variation in colors and details, but this particular version can be found at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario.

Photograph of one of Nick Cave's suits that is covered in red and yellow feathers on a white background. 

This is a button featuring a raffia "soundsuit" from Nick Cave's art exhibit, "Nick Cave: Meet me at the Center of the Earth." This was the first museum tour for the Chicago based artist; it started at the Seattle Art Museum March 10th, 2011. The exhibit included 50 soundsuits (wearable sculptures) made out of recycled materials, mixing the imaginary with reality and high fashion with African ceremony. The suits were put on display through dance and sound; dance performance artists wore them during the exhibit. 

Black text on a yellow background with an illustration of an airplane at the bottom.

Designed and built by the Howard Hughes’ Hughes Aircraft Company, the H-4 prototype flew its only flight on November 2, 1947.  The Spruce Goose was made of birch and spruce due to wartime restrictions on metals.  It was dubbed the “Spruce Goose” by the press.  It is currently housed at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. 

A blue illustration of Soldiers Field with a cross/heart/flower emblem is encircled by a blue oval between blue text on a white background. A ribbon with vertical black, red, white, blue, and yellow stripes hangs below the button.  

On June 28, 1926, the American Luther League of the Evangelical Lutheran Church conducted a celebration of the 150th birthday of the United States. Over 35,000 people attended patriotic exercises at Soldier Field, including singing national songs, flag drills, a 1,500 member choir performance, and speeches. 

The Luther League was a Lutheran religious association for young people in the United States, founded in New York City in 1888. The Luther League’s goal was to encourage young people to participate in Christian activities and foster loyalty to the church. 

Named as a memorial to American soldiers who have died in wars, Soldier Field was built in 1920 in Chicago and has been home to the NFL Chicago Bears since 1971, and also hosts large-scale events and concerts.