Wednesday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1940. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows a circus strongman with a long piece of metal which he proceeds to bend into three rings, one ring at a time.

Tuesday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1949. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows a Native American, and he’s making smoke signals, first one ring, then another and then a third. It’s an impressive job, I could never get more than a smudge of smoke whenever I tried it.

Monday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1940. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows a pelican, and as each fish jumps into its mouth it creates a ring in the water. I wish food would just jump into my mouth, it would make eating so much easier.

Sunday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1949. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows a woman cooking up a fish on a campfire, presumably caught by her fisherman husband standing next to her. As the fish cooks, it adds rings. Maybe that’s how you know it’s done; when it reaches three rings? Wouldn’t that be handy?

Saturday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1940. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows a clown juggling rings, starting with one and progressing to three. I like their idea to get people to order it. “Order the ‘Handy’ way.”

Friday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1948. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows a man carefully tending his garden consisting of a ring of flowers, which becomes two rings and then, naturally, a third. Yet he looks surprised that the flower rings keep multiplying. Maybe he’s a better gardener than he realizes, or perhaps he’s had too much to drink.

Thursday’s ad is for Ballantine, from the 1940s. In this ad, part of a series of clay figure dioramas, the ad depicts the transaction between Peter Minuit and the Lenape Native Americans in 1626. When exactly, is an open question, but he arrived in Manhattan on May 4, 1626 and the sale is believed to be taken place around mid-May, though it was reported until November, when a letter mentions it. “Minuit is generally credited with orchestrating the purchase of Manhattan Island (around $24 in today’s money) for the Dutch from the Native Americans called the Lenape, which later became the city of New Amsterdam, modern-day New York City, which was the core of the Dutch colony of New Netherland and the later British colony of New York. He also founded the Delaware colony in the early 1600s.” The myth about the beads is probably just that, a myth.

Wednesday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1950. In this ad, part of a series progressing from one, to two, to three rings, this one shows the multi-colored northern lights with a native Inuit man (which they would have undoubtedly called an Eskimo when the ad originally ran) in the snow next to a giant bottle and glass of Ballantine Ale.

Tuesday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1959. In this ad, another simple one, a full glass of Ballantine Beer hovers above a beautiful ocean with a man fishing from a rock below. I’m not quite sure why that makes it “the largest-selling beer in the East” or why it’s “the crisp refresher,” but I am inexplicably thirsty.

Monday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1962. In this ad, a cold bottle and full glass of Ballantine Beer is beautifully rendered in front of a field being harvested. Pretty simple, pretty cool.