Where Does The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Begin

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade presented by Macy's Department Store. The three-hour event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving. In the 1920s many of Macy's department store employees were first-generation immigrants. Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the United States holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their parents had loved in Europe.

March for this FUN Trivia quiz.

True or False?

1. In 1924, the annual Thanksgiving parade started by Louis Bamberger in Newark, New Jersey at the Bamberger's store was transferred to New York by Macy's.

2. Large animal-shaped balloons produced by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio replaced the live animals in 1927

3. The Parade continued to grow, with crowds of over 10,000 lining the parade route in 1933.

4. The balloons for the parade are inflated the day before (Wednesday) on both sides of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

5. Balloons introduced in 2001 were Bandleader Mickey Mouse (3rd version), Ronald McDonald (2nd version), Jeeves, Dragon Tales Curious George, Big Bird (2nd version), Jimmy Neutron, Pikachu (First version; retired after Pokémon Party of the Decade on August 8, 2006), Cheesasaurus Rex.

6. FOX has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1955.

7. The Parade adopted its current 2-1/2-mile-long route in 1945.

8. In 1986, a Tiger Shark balloon crashed into a lamppost and sent a lamp into the street.

Answers

1. True. In 1924, the annual Thanksgiving parade started by Louis Bamberger in Newark, New Jersey at the Bamberger's store was transferred to New York by Macy's. In New York, the employees marched to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square.

2. True. Large animal-shaped balloons produced by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio replaced the live animals in 1927 when the Felix the Cat balloon made its debut. Felix was filled with air, but by the next year, helium was used to fill the expanding cast of balloons.

3. False. Through the 1930s, the Parade continued to grow, with crowds of over 1 million lining the parade route in 1933. The first Mickey Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. The annual festivities were broadcast on local New York radio through 1941.

4. True. The balloons for the parade are inflated the day before (Wednesday) on both sides of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The balloons are split between 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The inflation team consists of various volunteers from Macy's as well as students from Stevens Institute of Technology, a local university in Hoboken, NJ where the balloons and floats are designed and built. The inflation is open to the public the afternoon and night before the parade.

5. True. Bandleader Mickey Mouse (3rd version), Ronald McDonald (2nd version), Jeeves, Dragon Tales Curious George, Big Bird (2nd version), Jimmy Neutron, Pikachu (First version; retired after Pokémon Party of the Decade on August 8, 2006), Cheesasaurus Rex were balloons introduced in 2001.

6. False. More than 44 million people watch the parade on television each year. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the event since 1955. For many years now the parade, which began its television appearances on CBS in 1952, has been hosted mostly by members of The Today Show. However, from 1962 to 1971 it was hosted by Lorne Greene (who was then appearing in NBC's Bonanza), and Betty White. Today Show's Bryant Gumbel, Ed McMahon and Regis Philbin hosted the telecast into the early 1980s.

7. True. The Parade has always taken place on Manhattan Island, one of the 'Five Boroughs' that make up New York City. Originally the parade started from 145th Street in Harlem and ended at Herald Square, a 6˝-mile route. (In Manhattan the higher street numbers are north) The Parade adopted its current 2˝-mile-long route in 1945 when TV networks began televising the parade. Beginning at the intersection of 77th Street and Central Park West, the route heads south along Central Park. At Columbus Circle, the route turns onto Broadway, passes through Times Square, and continues southward to Macy's, turning west onto 34th Street, and continuing to 7th Avenue, where the floats are taken down. It is not advised to view the parade from Columbus Circle, as due to higher winds in this flat area, balloon teams race through it.

8. False. In 1986, a Raggedy Ann balloon crashed into a lamppost and sent a lamp into the street. The same year, a Superman balloon had its hand torn off by a tree. Neither incident caused any injuries.

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