Sheets draped on the animals read: "To The White House Or Bust!"

In July 1911, Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, was the starting line of a race between an elephant and a donkey, which was to conclude in Washington D.C. The stunt was supposed to be a predictor of the following year’s Presidential election. Luna Park owner Frederic Thompson backed the Dems’ beast of burden, while “Uncle” Joe Cannon, the Republican stalwart and former Speaker of the House, seconded the GOP pachyderm. The two men wagered a cigar on the outcome, and the race received national attention.

The contest was threatened when Jennie the Donkey died from heatstroke on the eve of the battle and had to be replaced by Jennie II. Judy the Elephant showed up ready and willing as expected. The animals strode over the Manhattan Bridge, down Broadway and rode aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Jennie II took an early lead, but the rivals were soon even once more. Frustratingly, both archived articles on the New York Times site (here and here) focus only on the early part of the race, and don’t provide the result.

If the subsequent election was any indication, Jennie II won easily: Democrat Woodrow Wilson trounced Republican William Taft and Theodore Roosevelt.