Answers
1) What type of buttons are these? A: Bakelite, an early plastic, was invented and developed by the Belgian/American scientist Dr. L.H. Baekeland in 1907.
2) What country’s craftspeople were considered the first to pair functional buttons with buttonholes for use on snug clothing? D: The pairing is attributed to Germany in the 13th century. Button with buttonholes soon became widespread with the rise of tight-fitting fashion in 13th- and 14th-century Europe. Note: Some evidence points to crusaders returning to Europe with buttons and buttonholes in 1100s, but the popularity hit much later.
3) In what U.S. state were these buttons produced? B: These buttons hail from Muscatine, IA, which is the Pearl Button Capital of the World.
4) In the 17th century, what item did smugglers attempt to hide in box-like buttons? A: Smugglers from the 17th century, as well as today’s bandits, have attempted to smuggle illegal drugs in buttons with hidden compartments. I hope you didn't think the answer was "eyeballs." That would be disgusting.
5) Buttons are commonly measured in what measurement term? C: In the 9th century German button makers began to use the term “ligne” to measure the diameter of buttons. A ligne, also called lines and abbreviated L, measures one inch to 40 lignes.
6) Where, when, and why were buttons illegal? A and C: Sumptuary laws were established in both England and in the U.S. in the 1300s and 1600s, respectively. I made up the Egyptian answer. As far as I know, no formal Egyptian code of law has been preserved from the 7th century.
HAPPY NATIONAL BUTTON DAY!