Description: This boxed commemorative coin (issued earlier as recognition for a job well done) was recovered from the damaged Pentagon office of Maj. Warren Hoy.
Context: Maj. Warren Hoy was a survivor of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. His office was on the third floor of the D ring (the E ring is the exterior), and was directly above the path of the airplane as it slid through the first and second floors of E, D, and C rings. As the area filled with smoke, he helped an injured fellow worker escape from the building. In the Pentagon attack, 125 employees were killed and 140 were injured; on board the airplane, all 53 passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers were killed.
The inscription on one side of this token reads “DR. D. L. FLEMMING / 635 / VINE ST. / COR. 7TH ST. / PHILA.” That on the other side reads “N. B. LEIDY / BLOOD / PURIFIER / 217 N. 6TH ST / PHILA PA." Napoleon Bonaparte Leidy (1811-1865) was a graduate of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and proprietor of Dr. N. B. Leidy’s Health Emporium, and Wholesale and Retail Drug & Chemical Warehouse in Philadelphia. His blood purifier was on the market by 1833.
Coin commemorating the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois in 1893. Coin features a depicition of Christopher Columbus.
The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition was an assertive statement about American culture and identity. Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World. The fair was created by American business, political and artistic leaders to exhibit American progress and to proclaim America's arrival as an economic and cultural force on the world scene. The Columbian Exposition's centerpiece was the remarkable Ferris Wheel, invented and designed to challenge the 1889 Paris Exposition's Eiffel Tower as the world's most modern wonder. The Fair was an enormous success, having 27 million visitors during its May through October run.
In addition to exhibits relating to agriculture, science and industry, the Fair hosted a variety of cultural displays, including an exhibit of American art and performances from artists such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and John Philip Sousa. The exotic Midway attractions featured performers such as ragtime pianist Scott Joplin and the dancer Little Egypt.
The African American community was essentially excluded except as performers and for the allowance of a single day for coloreds only. Black leaders disagreed on the proper response to this slight, some encouraging participation, while others demanding a change in policy, continuing America's ongoing national discussion about racial representation and exclusion.
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a perfecting machine with two printing plates, two platens, and a rotary carrier to convey the paper between them; the invention was granted patent number 14558.
The Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut produced this token around 1880. Scovill was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, and coins.