5 Fun Facts About the , Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.br 1, The parade was originally br held during Christmas.br Employees organized the parade br in 1924 to celebrate becoming br the "world's largest store.".br Three years later, it was br held during Thanksgiving.br 2, They used to let the br balloons float away.br Those who found released balloons br got a gift certificate from Macy's.br 3, The parade was originally broadcast on the radio.br The first radio broadcast of the br parade was in 1932. The celebration was br not broadcast on television until 1946.br 4. , The parade route hasn't br always been the same.br The route was first changed in 2009 br due to new pedestrian plazas. It has br changed a few more times since then.br 5. , The parade hasn't always br gone off without a hitch.br The worst incident was possibly br in 1997, when winds reached speeds br of more than 40 miles per hour.br Four people were injured by rogue balloons, leaving one woman in a coma for a month.br The balloon was caught on top of me and my daughter.