This Day In History

On this day, New York City's Macy's department store held its first Thanksgiving Day parade down a two-mile stretch of Broadway from Central Park West to Herald Square. The parade featured large performing platforms that, because they were attached to specially outfitted automobiles concealed beneath them, seemed to float down Broadway. Each "float" had a separate theme: some featured Macy's employees dressed as clowns, cowboys, sheiks, and knights, while others displayed live animals on loan from the Central Park Zoo. The event was created to boost holiday sales and to bring customers to Macy's new flagship store at Herald Square. With an audience of over a quarter of a million people, the parade was a great success, and subsequently declared an annual event. In 1927, a new Macy's tradition began with the introduction of large balloons in the shape of animal or cartoon characters. Felix the Cat was Macy's first parade balloon. Although these literal "floats" tended to command the center of attention, automobile-propelled floats continue until this day--perennial favorites being the Santa Claus float and the traditional Turkey float. Since 1950, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has been nationally televised, and millions of Americans tune in to the spectacle every year.

---thanks to History.com