For millions of Americans, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is as traditional as eating candied yams and pumpkin pie. Its origins go back to 1924, when the first parade was held. But back then, it was feted as the Macy's Christmas parade, and like today, it heralded the beginning of the festive season.
In 1927, the animals were given the day off when the first giant floating balloons appeared – a hallmark of the celebrations to the present day. A giant Felix The Cat, made by Goodyear, floated above the cheering crowds. Past balloons have included Mickey Mouse in 1934, Popeye in 1957 and Betty Boop in 1985. Snoopy, sometimes accompanied by Woodstock, has made numerous appearances over the years and is perhaps the character most closely associated with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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These days, it takes about a year to design, model and build the balloons. Then all the balloons are brought together for “balloonfest”, when they are given a final test flight before the big day.
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31 August 1957: the Federation of Malaya declares independence from the UKFeatures On this day in 1957, after ten years of preparation, the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation.
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