The first Macy’s Day Parade was on November 27 in 1924. The
parade originally featured Macy’s employees and live animals
from the Central Park Zoo. Floats, instead of balloons, were the
main attraction.

The parade began in Harlem at 145th Street and ended in front
of the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. It was originally
called the Macy’s Christmas Parade, but was renamed the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 1927.

An estimated 250,000 spectators attended the first parade.

Today,  about 3.5 million people attend.   

‘Andy the Alligator’ in the 1933 parade.

Mickey Mouse made his first debut in this 1934 parade.

The Tin Man made his debut months after the release of “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939.

A group of elephants participated in the 1954 Thanksgiving
Day Parade. 

A marching band through Times Square, 1959. 

A performance by the Rockettes, 1964.

Rare photos (like above) of a young Marilyn Monroe, taken
by Andre de Dienes, have an estimated value of $4,000-
$6,000. (Julien’s Auctions / Fox News)

(Fox News) – A rare handwritten note from Charles Stanley Gifford,
who was recently proven to be Marilyn Monroe’s father, is going
up for auction.

More than 175 items associated with the Hollywood icon will be headlining the upcoming "Julien’s Auctions and TCM Present:
Icons & Idols Hollywood," which will be held both in person and
online next month.

"This card is the only known material artifact that establishes
any connection or communication between Gifford and his
famous daughter," read a release. According to the auction
house, it is believed the card was hand-delivered by Gifford to
Monroe while she was hospitalized.

Scott Fortner, who owns the world’s largest private collection of Monroe’s possessions, said he discovered the card "purely by
chance." The historian and co-host of the "All Things Marilyn"
podcast is considered to be an authority on Monroe and assists
major auction companies in authenticating and verifying
memorabilia.

On November 23, 1936, the first issue of the pictorial magazine
Life was published, featuring a cover photo of the Fort Peck
Dam’s spillway by Margaret Bourke-White.

Life actually had its start earlier in the 20th century as a different
kind of magazine: a weekly humor publication, not unlike today’s
The New Yorker in its use of tart cartoons, humorous pieces and
cultural reporting.

When the original Life folded during the Great Depression, the
influential American publisher Henry Luce bought the name 
and re-launched the magazine as a picture-based periodical 
on this day in 1936. By this time, Luce had already enjoyed 
great success as the publisher of Time, a weekly news
magazine.

Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967)