November 7
ELEPHANT DAY
The mighty elephant, trumpeter of the jungle and circus entertainer -- lumbering, powerful fieldworker and mode of transportation -- became a symbol of the Republican Party on this day in 1874.
Now we know that the elephant is the mascot of the Crimson Tide, the football team of the University of Alabama; a symbolism that has never been satisfactorily explained (too many versions). But how was it that an animal who uses its nose to feed and wash itself and can form a circle with others of its kind by attaching trunks to tails, became a symbol of the Grand Old Party (G.O.P.), a political party of the United States?
Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly, created a satirical drawing of an elephant about to fall into a giant hole. The elephant represented the Republican party and was used in reference to Ulysses S. Grant’s possible bid for a third term. Grant was a Republican. The symbol stuck and has been used ever since to represent the G.O.P. both in political cartoons and by the party itself.
Roll G.O.P.? Somehow, roll Tide has a better ring...
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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