# When Did Election Campaign Parades Cease Rolling Giant Balls? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243 "2015-12-24T06:39:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/1 "2015-12-24T06:39:23Z")
During the 1840s, campaign parades would feature a huge ball, which was covered with campaign slogans. This practice was the origin of the expression “get the ball rolling”. When did the practice finally die out? Could it be revived? ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/2 "2015-12-24T07:08:03Z")
Err, cite? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/3 "2015-12-24T07:11:12Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > This practice was the origin of the expression “get the ball rolling”. [Prolly not](http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/keep-the-ball-rolling.html). ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/4 "2015-12-24T07:22:57Z")
> [@Pashnish\_Ewing](#): > > Err, cite? > **[MARYLAND CURIOSITIES: QUIRKY CHARACTERS](https://books.google.com/books?id=Pb_fAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=with%2Bheart%2Band%2Bsoul%2Bball%2Bwe%2Broll&source=bl&ots=1xYpjY0o9j&sig=-R3zQlBh52zdLqkwvtdODE0oO9U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiu9cDC-_PJAhVEbSYKHU2zB6sQ6AEIIjAB#v=onepage&q=with%20heart%20and%20soul%20ball%20we%20roll&f=false)** > > This laugh-out-loud guide will introduce readers to the offbeat people, places, and events of the Old Line State. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/5 "2015-12-24T11:24:31Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > During the 1840s, campaign parades would feature a huge ball, which was covered with campaign slogans. This practice was the origin of the expression “get the ball rolling”. When did the practice finally die out? Could it be revived? According to your cite it was done only twice-definitely not a regular occurrence. Also, your cite doesn’t make the claim that it was the origin of the phrase “get the ball rolling”. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/6 "2015-12-24T14:14:12Z")
And in just a little bit of looking through that book that botsgotme cites, I found a number of errors, so it’s not a reliable source. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/7 "2015-12-24T14:56:00Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > When did the practice finally die out? Could it be revived? I imagine that the Trump campaign would argue that it has been rolling giant balls all year long. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/8 "2015-12-24T19:57:04Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > Could it be revived? How would this ball get around? Because we put up with a lot in swing states but a giant ball being rolled down the road at 2 MPH might be too much. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/9 "2015-12-24T20:13:15Z")
Do we get to strap the candidates to the balls first? If so, this is one tradition that \*deserves \*to be started up again. edit: or maybe we could talk Paris into lending us theirs. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/10 "2015-12-24T21:12:40Z")
[Benjamin Harrison only had one ball.](http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/files/2012/08/3a22179r.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/11 "2015-12-24T21:37:12Z")
You know who else only had one ball? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-election-campaign-parades-cease-rolling-giant-balls/741243/12 "2015-12-25T09:51:23Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > During the 1840s, campaign parades would feature a huge ball, which was covered with campaign slogans. This practice was the origin of the expression “get the ball rolling”. When did the practice finally die out? Could it be revived? Stuff like that is done in India. mimmicking the juggernaught in a less substantial , and hence less dangerous, setup.