Balloon Puppeteers Macys Parade 1924Macy’sAround 3.5 million people attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in New York City every year. Fifty million more tune in to watch it from home.

Before it became the national spectacle it is today, the first parade in 1924 was a relatively modest assembly of Macy’s workers, elephants, monkeys, camels, Broadway performers, and small floats.

Take a look at archive photos of Macy’s first parade.