|
|
| » Home » Uniquely NYC |
3.II.ENew York City (NYC) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Ticker-Tape Parades, perhaps some of the most unique
NYC phenomena, are triumphant celebrations of special occasions
or persons, which normally take place within a few days notice. Ticker-tape
parades are held in the so called “Canyon of Heroes” located
in the Financial District on lower Broadway. The parade route is marked
with commemorative plates of the most renowned past ticker-tape parades.
These days the parades mostly celebrate a New York sports team victory.
In the old days, however, ticker-tape parades honored heroic astronauts,
mayor election victories, visiting presidents of foreign countries, military
leaders, Olympians and notable others and events deemed worthy of special
recognition. This unusual way to celebrate was inspired by the stock ticker – a machine of the late 19th-early 20th centuries that tracked financial data over telegraph lines and stamped it on strips called ticker tape. When Wall Street realized that throwing these ribbons of paper out of the window was a fun way to celebrate, a tradition was born. The first parade was thrown on October 29, 1886 to mark the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. In 1899 two million people turned out for Admiral George Dewey, hero of the battle of Manila Bay, who became the first individual honored with a ticker-tape parade. President Teddy Roosevelt got one in 1910 upon his return from an African safari. In decades to follow ticker-tape parades celebrated Albert Einstein in 1921 – the only scientist ever honored by the parade; the U.S. Olympic team in 1924; Charles Lindberg in 1927; V-J Day in 1945, prompting the most lavish ticker–tape parade; and many others. By the late 1960s, the stock exchange upgraded its electronic boards and ticker tape became obsolete. The parades dwindled and the 1970s and 1980s only saw a handful. There was a brief resurgence in 1990s, highlighted by the 1998 honor of John Glenn, the oldest person to go into space at 77. There have been 4 parades this decade - for the Giants after they won Superbowls in 2008 and 2011 seasons and for the Yankees to celebrate their World Series victory in 2000 and 2009. |
||