India A Festival of Science

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Text on Button INDIA: A FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE - MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY - CHICAGO
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Black text on a blue background with a white illustration of the Taj Mahal. "India: A Festival Of Science" arches over top half of button, "Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago"  in semi-circle on lower half of button.

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This button is for an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago that occurred in 1985 and highlighted India's accomplishments in mathematics, chemistry, physics, metallurgy, communications, and transportation.

Catalog ID CH0033

Chicagoland You've Got Style

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Text on Button CHICAGOLAND YOU'VE GOT STYLE – Old Style
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Multi color illustrated button showing an Old Style beer can in the center of downtown Chicago landmarks. Red helicopter hovers next to beer can. Pink, blue and white clouds in background.

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Old Style was first brewed in 1902 by the G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin, under the name Old Style Lager. The original Heileman's Old Style brewery in La Crosse is now owned by the City Brewing Company.

Catalog ID CH0039

The Windy City

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Text on Button Chicago, ILL. – The Windy City
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Brightly colored illustrated button with a graphic of the United States and a star signifying Chicago's location, with famous landmarks emanating from it. There is black text in a triangle on right side, and black text appears in band of red on lower quarter of button.

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raised rectangle on back paper

Curl Text Imprint Art - Hackensack NJ with copyright symbol
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Chicago is known as 'the Windy City," although it is by far not the windiest city. The origin of the nickname is from its rivalry with Cincinnati in the 1870s. "Windy" is a term for being boastful and full of bluster and is often said to refer to Chicago politics not the weather conditions.

Catalog ID CH0027

Field Museum

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Text on Button Field Museum
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Purple background with white dinosaur skeleton and white text.

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In 2000 The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago acquired the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever found. The 67 million year old skeleton has drawn more than 16 million visitors in the last twelve years. The white graphic image on the button refers to Sue.

Catalog ID CH0037

Pan American Games Chicago

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Text on Button Pan American Games - Chicago - Espirito. Sport. Fraternite. America
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White background with red and black letters. Black, white, and red circles in the middle. Within circle is the image of a torch and the words "Espirito. Sport. Fraternite. America."

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The 1959 Pan American Games were held at Chicago's Soldier Field where 40,000 came to watch athletes from the Americas compete in sports such as cycling, diving, basketball, baseball and even yachting (swimming was held at Portage Park's pool). Participating athletes lived in housing provided by the University of Chicago.

Catalog ID CH0022

Tuts Chicago

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Text on Button Tuts Chicago
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Silver foil button with black ink. Image of King Tut wearing aviator glasses.

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Tuts was one of the first active punk clubs in Chicago, open from 1980-1984. Located on the corner of Belmont and Sheffield, Tuts routinely played some of the best and most active alternative, punk, and post-punk bands from around the nation. The more well-known location of Tuts (953 W. Belmont) was preceded by The Quiet Knight and replaced by The Avalon. 

Tuts photographer Howard Greenblatt published photos of blues legends Buddy Guy and Otis Clay, as well as local acts like Heavy Manners, Missing Persons, and Phil 'n' the Blanks, and touring big names of the era like Sun Ra, Richie Havens, Loudon Wainwright III, and the Romantics for an exhibit on Tuts that was available on Michigan Avenue in 2015.

The physical location as all three names over the years, Quiet Knight, Tuts, and Avalon, became a Chicago hot spot for entertainment featuring many well-known artists and bands that played there including Bob Marley, Tom Waits, R.E.M., Prince, Run D.M.C., The Cramps, Naked Raygun, Black Flag, Bauhaus, The Stray Cats, Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Although Tuts was only there for a limited time, its presence in the area provided opportunities for music clubs to expand beyond only hosting popular music or top 40 music acts.

Sources

Tuts, the Iconic '80s Rock Club You Never Heard Of, Honored With Exhibit. (2015). Retrieved 11 January 2021, from https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150908/south-loop/tuts-iconic-80s-roc…

Catalog ID CH0029

Jesse Jackson '88

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Text on Button Jesse Jackson '88
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Blue and red lettering on white background. "Jesse Jackson" in blue on upper half, "'88" with red line on botton quarter of button.

Curl Text Union Bug Financial Innovations, Providence, RI
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Jesse Jackson's second attempt to run for the Democratic nomination for President was in 1988. Although he surpassed expectations, Dukakis won the Democratic ticket.

Catalog ID CH0024

The Refrigerator

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Text on Button THE REFRIGERATOR - CHICAGO BEARS - Secret Weapon
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Illustration of a refrigerator with number 72 on the door and a football helmet on the ground next to it. Text surrounds the outer ring and Secret Weapon is "stamped" on the image.

Curl Text American Logo Products by Wincraft, Winona MN 55987
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William "The Fridge" Perry was born on December 16, 1962 and is best known for his years as a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. He was nicknamed "The Refrigerator" for his large, rhomboid-like frame. He was a first round draft pick in 1985 and won the Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears his rookie year. His Super Bowl ring is sized 25, the largest ring in Super Bowl history.

Catalog ID CH0034

VM Hottest Thing Since The Chicago Fire

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Text on Button VM - HOTTEST THING SINCE THE CHICAGO FIRE
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White background with dark blue text, light blue silhouette of Chicago (Hancock buidling) with "VM" in red in middle of button.

Curl Text Advertising Novelty Co. 1835 K St. N.W. Wash D.C. 20006
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In 1972 IBM introduced a virtual machine operating system. This button may refer to an IBM convention or event related to this that took place in Chicago at the time.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Catalog ID CH0043

Jane Byrne For Mayor One Chicago

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Text on Button Jane Byrne for Mayor - One Chicago
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Black and green text on white background.

Curl Text Jane Byrne for Mayor Comm. Union Bug
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Jane Byrne was the first female mayor of Chicago. Known as a reformer, she lived in the housing project Cabrini-Green to bring attention to the crime rate there. She was also the first mayor to recognize the gay community. In 1981, Dan Goodwin climbed the Hancock Tower dressed as Spider-Man and Mayor Byrne intervened when the Chicago Fire Dept wanted to hose him off the building. He continued to the top, receiving cheers from the crowd of onlookers.

Catalog ID CH0009