The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade has been bringing crowds to New York City since 1924. It was conceived to draw customers into the department store for Christmas shopping, and it was so popular that "let’s do it again next year" eventually became an annual tradition. Inflatable animals were introduced in 1927, partially to replace the cranky zoo animals that had previously marched. Mashable has a collection of vintage photographs from parades spanning from 1929 to 1964. Do not miss the 1937 giant reptile. -via Metafilter