The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade started in the roaring twenties when New York's department store Macy's was thriving. The first parade took place in 1924 and debuted as a Christmas Day parade instead of Thanksgiving. There were only three floats that were pulled by horses from 145th Street and Convent Avenue to the Macy's store at 34th Street and Broadway. It included animals from the Central Park Zoo and four different bands. Santa even made an appearance in the first parade. This tradition still continues today, even though the parades look a little different than they did in the 1920s. The photos below showcase just how far the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade has come from 1924 to 2019. Happy Thanksgiving.