First ticker-tape parade.October 28, 1886, was a big day in New York City. President Grover Cleveland was present to dedicate the Statue of Liberty. The 151-foot-tall copper statue was a gift from the people of France, erected on a 154-foot base on an island in New York Harbor.When the parade following the statue`s dedication wound its way through New York`s financial district on Manhattan Island, observers from offices high above the street began a spontaneous response&mdash;they threw ticker-tape from their windows. Ticker tape was the one-inch wide strip of paper that clicked continuously out of a ticker-tape machine, showing the instantaneous value of stocks being traded on the stock market. The tape fed out of the machines and gathered in piles on the floor. Onlookers decided that showering the parade with the paper strips would make a fitting tribute

Ticker Tape Parade for the Statue of Liberty

Ticker Tape parade honoring King Albert &amp; Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. The ticker-tape parade held in honor of the visiting Belgian King Albert and Queen Elisabeth marked the first of its kind held for royal heads of state. The king and queen`s official threemonth visit to the United States from September to November 1919 took place nearly one year after the conclusion of World War I. Many Americans had heard of the foreign dignitaries` role in the war. It was King Albert`s refusal to allow the Germans peaceful passage through Belgium to attack France&mdash;and his subsequent command of the Belgian army to hold back German forces&mdash;that facilitated British and French victory at the Battle of the Marne. King Albert and Queen Elisabeth were also champions on the front lines&mdash;Albert as commanding officer and Elisabeth as a nurse. The pair`s bravery and dedication garnered widespread praise.

Ticker Tape Parade for King Albert and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium

At the age of 25, he went from obscurity as a U.S. Air Mail pilot to instantaneous world fame by winning the Orteig Prize for making the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris on May 20&ndash;21, 1927. Lindbergh covered the 33+1&frasl;2-hour, 3,600-statute-mile flight alone in a purpose-built, single-engine Ryan monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Though the first non-stop transatlantic flight had been completed eight years earlier, this was the first solo transatlantic flight, the first transatlantic flight between two major city hubs, and the longest transatlantic flight by almost 2,000 miles. Thus it is widely considered one of the most consequential flights in world history and a turning point for the development and advancement of aviation, ushering in a new era of transportation between parts of the globe.He traveled up the Canyon of Heroes to City Hall, where he was received by Mayor Jimmy Walker. A ticker-tape parade followed to Central Park Mall, where he was honored at another ceremony hosted by New York Governor Al Smith and attended by a crowd of 200,000. Some 4,000,000 people saw Lindbergh that day. That evening, Lindbergh was accompanied by his mother and Mayor Walker when he was the guest of honor at a 500-guest banquet and dance held at Clarence MacKay's Long Island estate, Harbor Hill.On December 14, 1927, a Special Act of Congress awarded Lindbergh the Medal of Honor, despite the fact that it was almost always awarded for heroism in combat.

Ticker Tape Parade for Charles Lindberg's solo transatlantic flight

General Dwight D. Eisenhower`s parade in June 1945 marked the first New York ticker-tape parade since the outbreak of World War II, as well as the first of a cadre of parades celebrating the national and international military leaders and war heroes of the conflict. According to Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, &ldquo;a million and a half people&rdquo; gathered in New York that day to watch General Eisenhower be awarded the golden medal, New York`s honorary citizenship, and the symbolic key to Brooklyn (later reports testify to crowds reaching over four million). The celebration followed Eisenhower`s numerous military victories as supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (AEF) during the war. Emerging as a colonel in 1940, Eisenhower was assigned to chief of staff of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, and soon after, reassigned to chief of staff of the IX Corps. In 1941, he worked as chief of staff in the Third Army at San Antonio. His experience earned him a call to Washington soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Having earned the trust of General George C. Marshall and President Roosevelt, General Eisenhower relocated to England, where he became the commander of the American forces. His performance in Operation Torch, the invasion of English and American troops to North Africa, resulted in a successful negotiation for Italian surrender in 1943, which prompted Allied authorities to name Eisenhower supreme commander of the AEF, charged with leading the Allied armies, navies, and air forces. Most notably, Eisenhower led the massive invasion of Nazi-occupied France in Operation Overlord, which began on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The invasion forced the German army out of France, eventually leading to Hitler`s suicide on April 30, 1945 and German surrender a week later, on May 7.

Ticker Tape Parade for Dwight Eisenhower

King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark visit the United States in 1960. A Ticker Tape Parade is held in their honor. Other events included a State Dinner and Reception at the White House hosted by American President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, a the dedication of the new Danish embassy at 3200 Whitehaven Street N.W. and a performance of the Royal Danish Ballet at Loew`s Capital Theater.During their two-week visit to the United States, King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark stopped in New York City, where they were greeted by 250,000 New Yorkers and a ticker-tape parade. The King and Queen used the procession and City Hall ceremony as an opportunity to express Denmark`s gratitude to the United States for the support provided through the Marshall Plan following World War II. Frederick noted that the funds helped Denmark rebuild its economy and begin transitioning from an agricultural economy to a more industrial one, opening investment opportunities to Western investors.

Ticker Tape Parade for Frederick IX and Ingrid, King and Queen of Denmark

John Fitzgerald Kennedy campaigning for President of the United States with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a ticker tape parade down Broadway in 1960. The Democratic Party`s presidential candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy, received a ticker-tape parade upon his arrival to New York City in October 1960. The Senator and his opponent, Vice President Richard Nixon, were visiting New York to participate in a presidential debate. Nixon did not receive a ticker-tape parade upon his arrival, a fact that both the Republican Party and Nixon protested as unequal treatment. Indeed, Republican leaders in New York attempted to cancel Kennedy`s ticker-tape parade. They failed, and the Senator`s procession drew crowds estimated at well over one million people, some of whom broke through the police tape to shake the candidate`s hand and storm his car. Mayor Robert Wagner referred to the event as &ldquo;the greatest reception anybody has received in this section of the city in its history,&rdquo; and the Police Commissioner noted that it rivaled the crowds greeting aviator Charles Lindbergh`s parade in 1927.

 Cornell Capa, Magnum photographer, and founder of the International Centre of Photography, in New York. The younger brother of Robert Capa, one of the agency&amp;rsquo;s co-founders, Cornell&amp;rsquo;s contribution to photojournalism was notably distinct from that of his sibling. Where Robert was foremost a war photographer, Cornell was a self-proclaimed photographer of peace; his work dealing primarily with the themes of social justice and politics. His coverage for Life Magazine of John F. Kennedy&amp;rsquo;s successful presidential run in 1960 is notable for being both a documentation of an important event in American history and an intimate portrait of the country&amp;rsquo;s youngest ever elected President&amp;rsquo;s rise to power.  

Ticker Tape Parade for John F. Kennedy, Democratic presidential nominee

 On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Colonel Buzz Aldrin, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Collins made history when two of the Apollo 11 astronauts -- Armstrong and Aldrin -- became the first men to land on the Moon.  

 Their achievement earned them a rapturous ticker tape parade up Lower Broadway the following August, attended by an estimated four million people. During the City Hall ceremony, Mayor John Lindsay awarded the astronauts the City&rsquo;s Gold Medal. Most Americans considered the Apollo 11 mission to be a victorious conclusion to the Soviet-American space race of the 1960s, and by 1972&mdash;the year of the last Apollo mission&mdash;NASA had confirmed its place as the world&rsquo;s leading space program, with a total of 12 American astronauts having walked on the Moon.  

Ticker Tape Parade for Apollo 11

It was given almost as splashy a front-page treatment as the moon landing: The Mets won the 1969 World Series. &ldquo;Led by Manager Gil Hodges, they rode in open cars through canyons that once echoed with cheers for Charles A. Lindbergh, John H. Glenn and Neil Armstrong,&rdquo; reported The Times. &ldquo;For eight years New York has loved this team,&rdquo; announced Mayor Lindsay at City Hall, where the ticker-tape parade began. He continued: &ldquo;Today they`re No. 1. The Cardinals know it, the Cubs know it, the Braves know it and the Orioles know it. Thank you for giving us a summer of joy.&rdquo;The New York Mets received a ticker-tape parade in 1969 for their first World Series championship. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers gathered to watch the team and their open-car motorcades, led by second-year manager Gil Hodges, make their way up Broadway. The Mets joined the National League in 1962 as an expansion team, five years after New York`s two previous National League teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, both left New York for California. While the team`s first seven seasons proved mediocre, the 1969 season earned them the title of the &ldquo;Miracle Mets&rdquo; for their impressive rise to excellence, boasting a regular season record of 100 wins.

Ticker Tape Parade for the Mets' World Series Championship Win

An ebullient pontiff, thrown a ticker-tape parade by overjoyed New Yorkers, was shielded from the rain by an umbrella held by Terence Cardinal Cooke, the Archbishop of New York. At a gathering at Madison Square Garden, Pope John Paul II was cheered by thousands of teenagers. &ldquo;If he`d put that guitar around his neck,&rdquo; said one headmaster of a Catholic high school, &ldquo;the kids would have blown the roof right off the Garden.&rdquo;While most New Yorkers embraced the Pope`s visit, others were critical of his decision to use the trip to express disagreement with aspects of American capitalism; still others decried some aspects of Catholic teaching or castigated the City for spending money on the Pope`s visit in the midst of a budget crisis. Over the course of the day, the Pope`s schedule was delayed twice due to an unfounded bomb threat and false report of a gun sighting.

Ticker Tape Parade for Pope John Paul II

Operation Desert Storm turned into Operation Paper Storm yesterday as New York bestowed its traditional heroes welcome - a colossal ticker tape parade on thousands of gulf war troops who marched up Broadway flanked by nearly 5 million spectators.Instead, 6,000 tons of ticker tape, 10,000 pounds of multicolored confetti, enough red, white and blue balloons to fill a six-story building, reams of computer paper, shredded telephone books and millions of yellow ribbons came pouring out of the skyscrapers of Manhattan's financial district, showering 24,000 marchers.Leading the parade were Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin L. Powell and Operation Desert Storm commander Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, all riding in open vintage convertibles to a thunderous, nearly deafening ovation.

Ticker Tape Parade for Gulf War, Desert Storm

Nearly a year after World War I ended, New Yorkers gathered to honor the return of General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Europe, with a victory ticker-tape parade.President Woodrow Wilson appointed Pershing, a veteran of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars, to command American troops overseas in 1917. Nicknamed &ldquo;Black Jack&rdquo; Pershing by his cadets at West Point for his recurring command of black troops, Pershing`s forces were instrumental in helping British and French allied troops force an armistice on the Germans in November 1918.

Ticker Tape Parade for John J. Pershing

 Some of the world's greatest triumphs have been celebrated right here in Lower Manhattan with spectacular ticker-tape parades up Broadway. From moon-walkers to sports stars, from politicians to performers, from war veterans to aviation aces, we have honored the nation's best with these tributes in our skyscraper canyons. As a result, Broadway has long been known as the Canyon of Heroes. The Downtown Alliance has commemorated all 204 of these ticker-tape parades by actually marking the Canyon of Heroes. As we repaved the sidewalks along the entire length of Broadway from the Battery to City Hall, we installed black granite strips at regular intervals in the sidewalks on either side of the roadway. Each strip will be marked in stainless-steel letters with the name and date of each historic parade, from the first ticker-tape parade in 1886 to celebrate the dedication of the Statue of Liberty to the fall 2009 parade to honor the World Series Champions, the New York Yankees. A number of blank strips have been included as place holders for the commemoration of heroics yet to come. 

Canyon of Heroes

 Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York, chronicles the vibrant history of parades along Broadway's Canyon of Heroes. 

Canyon of Heroes

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