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MAYOR WILLIAM R. GRACE 1885 – 1886 ©CORBIS 1 OCTOBER 28, 1886 ★ DEDICATION OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY The New York Times reported that the festivities of the day inspired so many office boys to throw ticker tape out the windows that, within a minute, “the air was white with curling streamers.” MAYOR HUGH J. GRANT 1889 – 1892 ©CORBIS 2 APRIL 29, 1889 ★ CENTENNIAL OF GEORGE WASHINGTON’S INAUGURA- TION AS FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES One hundred years after George Washington took the oath of office at Federal Hall, on the corner of Wall and Broad Streets, New Yorkers took pride in remem- bering that their city had been the site of the nation’s first capital. MAYOR ROBERT A. VAN WYCK 1898 – 1901 3 SEPTEMBER 30, 1899 ★ ADM. GEORGE DEWEY, HERO OF THE BATTLE OF MANILA DURING THE SPANISH- AMERICAN WAR Dewey’s squadron slipped into Manila harbor at mid- night on May 2, 1898, and in 12 hours destroyed the Spanish fleet, with only eight Americans wounded. On his return to the U.S., Dewey was greeted with wild enthusiasm and briefly considered a potential presidential candidate. MAYOR WILLIAM J. GAYNOR 1910 – 1913 ©Bettmann/CORBIS 4 JUNE 18, 1910 ★ THEODORE ROOSEVELT, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ON HIS RETURN FROM AN AFRICAN SAFARI Although Roosevelt was fond of quoting the old West African proverb “Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far,” his weapon of choice on safari was a gun with which he bagged 17 lions, 11 elephants, 20 rhinoceroses, and 464 other ani- mals. The only native New Yorker to serve as president of the United States, Roosevelt succeeded William McKinley following his assassination in 1901. MAYOR JOHN PURROY MITCHELL 1914 – 1917 5 MAY 9, 1917 ★ JOSEPH J. C. JOFFRE, MARSHAL OF FRANCE The enthusias- tic reception extended to the French military leader reflected the fever pitch of emotions accompanying U.S. entry into World War I on April 6. MAYOR JOHN F. HYLAN 1918 – 1925 ©Bettmann/CORBIS 6 SEPTEMBER 8, 1919 ★ GEN. JOHN J. PERSHING, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN WORLD WAR I Following his victory in Europe, Pershing was promoted to be general of the armies—a rank previously held only by George Washington. Born in Missouri and trained at West Point (class of 1886), Pershing earned a reputation as an able soldier and administrator while stationed in Cuba, the Philippines, and Mexico before his appointment as commander in 1917. King Albert and Mayor Hylan 7 OCTOBER 3, 1919 ★ ALBERT AND ELIZABETH, KING AND QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS New Yorkers warmly received their noble wartime allies. Sensational newspaper stories of German atrocities in Belgium, and King Albert’s heroic resistance to the invasion, had helped convince reluctant Americans to send their sons into World War I. 8 NOVEMBER 18, 1919 ★ EDWARD ALBERT, PRINCE OF WALES After the end of World War I, the Prince of Wales set out on a world tour to pro- mote British commerce and industry. 9 OCTOBER 19, 1921 ★ GEN. ARMANDO V. DIAZ, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ITALIAN ARMY The Italian military idol told newspaper reporters that New York reminded him of Naples: “The spirit of the American people is the same spirit of Italy, and if it were not for the difference in lan- guage, I would imagine myself back in Italy.” 10 OCTOBER 21, 1921 ★ ADM. LORD DAVID BEATTY, COMMANDER OF THE BRITISH AND ALLIED FLEETS DURING WORLD WAR I For his role in luring the German fleet into the only major naval engagement with the British during the war, Beatty became known as the hero of the Battle of Jutland. 11 OCTOBER 28, 1921 ★ FERDINAND FOCH, MARSHAL OF FRANCE, COMMANDER OF THE ALLIED ARMIES DURING WORLD WAR I Foch was the architect of the plan that halted the last great German offensive of the war at the river Marne. Along with General Diaz and Admiral Beatty, Foch traveled to America for a con- ference on disarmament. 12 NOVEMBER 18, 1922 ★ GEORGES CLEMENCEAU, PREMIER OF FRANCE DURING WORLD WAR I Clemenceau – known as the “Tiger of France” – made New York City his first stop on a nationwide speaking tour. He hoped to convince the American public that France was neither a militaristic nor imperialistic nation. 13 OCTOBER 5, 1923 ★ DAVID LLOYD GEORGE, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR I During his stay in New York City, the British statesman complimented the United States on its success in welding the many immigrants from the old world into a great nation. 14 AUGUST 6, 1924 ★ U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETES, ON THEIR RETURN FROM THE PARIS GAMES The U.S. swept all five titles in tennis and 13 out of 16 swimming events. American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller won three gold medals. He subse- quently went to Hollywood where he starred in a dozen movies as “Tarzan the Ape Man.” Another member of the 1924 American Olympic team, rower Benjamin Spock, later achieved great renown as a pediatrician and book author. 18 JULY 2, 1926 ★ BOBBY JONES, BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., had a handsome face, a sense of humor, and a flair for the dramatic—and played a great game of golf. His success on the links drew Americans to the sport in record numbers during the 1920s. 19 AUGUST 27, 1926 ★ GERTRUDE EDERLE, FIRST WOMAN TO SWIM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL Ederle’s accom- plishment inspired countless female athletes and brought her world-wide fame, far greater than the accolades she received for win- ning three swimming medals in the 1924 Olympics. The 19-year-old native New Yorker swam the entire 35 grueling miles from Cap Gris- Nez, France, to Dover, England, using the crawl, a stroke then con- sidered too tiring for long-distance swimming. Her record-breaking 14- hour and 31-minute time beat the five previous successful crossings, all made by men using the breast- stroke, and was not bested until 1964. When asked why she under- took such a difficult task, she said she wanted to bring honor to the United States. She also added that her father had promised her “a small roadster” if she succeeded. After losing her hearing in 1930 and suffering a debilitating back injury in 1933, she spent many years teaching deaf children to swim. 20 SEPTEMBER 10, 1926 ★ MILLE GADE CORSON, FIRST MOTHER AND SECOND WOMAN TO SWIM THE ENGLISH CHANNEL “I’ve got to make some money for my kids,” was the thought that inspired the Danish- American 27-year-old mother of two to make her 15-hour-38-minute crossing. She was an hour slower than Gertrude Ederle, but still faster than any male swimmer. Corson went on the lecture circuit to capitalize on her well-publicized athletic feat. 23 JULY 18, 1927 ★ DOUBLE PARADE FOR TWO SEPARATE TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHTS: ONE BY COMDR. RICHARD E. BYRD, LT. GEORGE O. NOVILLE, BERNT BALCHEN, AND BERT ACOSTA, AND THE OTHER BY CLARENCE D. CHAM- BERLIN AND CHARLES A. LEVINE Richard Byrd had wanted to be the first pilot to fly the Atlantic. He and his crew were still preparing to leave when Lindbergh made his tri- umphant solo flight. The Byrd team was further disappointed when poor weather over Paris forced their plane into the surf at Ver-sur-Mer, off the coast of France, dashing their hopes for a nonstop transatlantic flight. The other honorees, Chamberlin and his passenger Levine flew 3,911 miles, from Long Island to Eisleben, Germany, breaking Lindbergh’s record. Muggy, rainy weather and something like a hangover from the excesses of the Lindbergh parade dampened the city’s reception for the five “birdmen.” It was Byrd’s second of three ticker-tape receptions (see nos. 17 and 35). L–R: George Haldeman, Ruth Elder, Official Greeter Grover Whalen 24 NOVEMBER 11, 1927 ★ RUTH ELDER, FIRST WOMAN TO ATTEMPT A TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT, WITH PILOT GEORGE HALDEMAN Dubbed the “Flying Flapper” by the popular press, Ruth Elder wanted to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. The would-be actress and former dental hygienist should have waited for spring weather. Fortunately, she and Haldeman had wisely decided to chart a course over busy shipping lanes. When they crashed in the Atlantic near the Azores, 28 hours and 2,632 miles after leaving Roosevelt Field, they were quickly scooped up by a Dutch oil tanker. Although falling short of their goal, they did achieve the longest flight entirely over water. For a time, the Alabama- born, “comely Dixie aviatrix” ©Bettman/CORBIS 28 JULY 6, 1928 ★ AMELIA EARHART, FIRST WOMAN TO COMPLETE A TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT, WITH PILOTS WILMER STULZ AND LOUIS E. GORDON Flying had been only a weekend hobby for the tall, slender social worker until she met her future hus- band, book publisher George Palmer Putnam. He decided Earhart would be the first woman to fly suc- cessfully across the Atlantic. Newspaper reporters played up her resemblance to Charles Lindbergh, calling her “Lady Lindy.” 29 OCTOBER 16, 1928 ★ DR. HUGO ECKENER AND THE CREW OF THE DIRI- GIBLE GRAF ZEPPELIN FOR THE FIRST COMMERCIAL TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT The lighter-than-air dirigible, carrying 20 passengers, made the Atlantic crossing from Friedrich- shafen, Germany, to Lakehurst, New Jersey, in four days, 15 hours, and 44 minutes. 30 JANUARY 28, 1929 ★ CAPTAIN GEORGE FRIED, CHIEF OFFICER HARRY MANNING, AND THE CREW OF THE STEAMSHIP AMERICA FOR RESCUING THE CREW OF THE ITALIAN FREIGHTER FLORIDA Captain Fried’s second ticker-tape parade (see no. 15) celebrated another dramatic North Atlantic sea rescue. Fried and his crew plucked 32 officers and sea- men from the foundering freighter in a raging storm. Harry Manning was commander of the lifeboat. 31 OCTOBER 4, 1929 ★ RAMSAY MACDONALD, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN Born the illegitimate son of a servant, by 1924 MacDonald had risen to become the prime minister and foreign sec- retary of Great Britain’s first Labour Party–led government. 37 SEPTEMBER 3, 1930 ★ CAPT. DIEUDONNÉ COSTES AND MAURICE BELLONTE FOR THE FIRST NONSTOP TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT FROM PARIS TO LONG ISLAND Three years after Lindbergh’s west-to-east voyage, two French aviators conquered the more difficult east-to-west cross- ing, a 37-hour and 17-minute flight across the Atlantic from LeBourget Field, Paris, to Curtiss Field, Long Island. L–R: Mrs. Gatty, Wiley Post, Mayor Walker, Harold Gatty, Mrs. Post (©CORBIS) 38 JULY 2, 1931 ★ WILEY POST AND HAROLD GATTY, FOR THEIR FLIGHT AROUND THE WORLD (8 DAYS, 15 HOURS, 51 MINUTES) Wiley Post and his navigator Harold Gatty flew from, and returned to, Roosevelt Field on Long Island in a Lockheed Vega B5. They beat the 21-day record for circumnavigation held by the German airship Graf Zeppelin. 39 SEPTEMBER 2, 1931 ★ OLIN J. STEPHENS JR. AND THE CREW OF THE DORADE, WINNERS OF A TRANSAT- LANTIC YACHT RACE FROM NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, TO PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND Stephens designed and built his craft, a 45-foot yawl, at the Minneford Yacht Yards on City Island, in the Bronx. The 23-year- old captain and his crew of six young men sailed across the Atlantic in 17 days, 14 hours, and 40 seconds. They attributed their victory to “good luck” and to choosing a northerly course, unlike the other contestants, who followed the Gulf Stream. 40 OCTOBER 22, 1931 ★ PIERRE LAVAL, PREMIER OF FRANCE The French leader was feted in New York City on his way to Washington, D.C., for talks with President Hoover. New Yorkers couldn’t know that ten years later, when France fell to the Germans, Laval would become vice-premier in the Vichy government under Marshal Pétain 46 AUGUST 1, 1933 ★ PILOTS AMY JOHNSON AND CAPT. JAMES A. MOLLISON, THE FIRST MARRIED COU- PLE TO FLY THE ATLANTIC Johnson and Mollison both had been record- breaking British aviators prior to their 1932 marriage. Johnson was the first woman to fly from England to Australia, and Mollison had made the first solo westward transatlantic flight from Ireland to New Brunswick. The couple’s transatlantic voyage began at Pendine Sands in Southern Wales. They intended to fly to New York City, but their plane ran short of fuel and they crash-landed at Bridgeport, Connecticut, escaping with only minor injuries. The couple divorced in 1938. In 1941, Amy Johnson drowned in the Thames River after jumping from her falter- ing plane. Her body was never recovered. MAYOR FIORELLO H. LAGUARDIA 1934 – 1945 ©Bettmann/CORBIS 47 SEPTEMBER 3, 1936 ★ JESSE OWENS AND MEMBERS OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM ON THEIR RETURN FROM THE BERLIN GAMES The African-American athlete Owens upset Adolph Hitler’s theories of Aryan superiority by winning four gold medals in track and field events. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia presented medals to the American team at ceremonies on Randall’s Island after the parade. Alluding to the German press comment that America would have been nowhere without its “black auxiliary force,” Mayor LaGuardia said, “We are all Americans here and we have no auxiliaries in this country.” 50 APRIL 27, 1939 ★ OLAV AND MARTHA, CROWN PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF NORWAY The royal couple traveled to New York to dedicate the Norwegian exhibit at the World’s Fair. After the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940, Martha accepted President Roosevelt’s offer of asylum in the U.S., while Olav established a government-in- exile in London. The attractive princess was a frequent guest at the White House, where her lively companionship and good cheer were much appreciated by the President during the grim war years. 51 MAY 1, 1939 ★ REAR ADM. ALFRED W. JOHNSON, OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE ATLANTIC SQUADRON OF THE U.S. FLEET The fleet came to town to take part in opening cere- monies for the World’s Fair. L–R: Official Greeter Grover Whalen with General Eisenhower and his wife Mamie 52 JUNE 19, 1945 ★ GEN. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN WORLD WAR II “Don’t Throw Paper at Ike!” The newspapers reminded potential revelers that, with Americans still fighting in the Pacific, paper was needed for the war effort. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia met Eisenhower at LaGuardia Airport. As the motor- cade traveled through Manhattan to the Battery for the start of the traditional parade, New Yorkers couldn’t resist the temptation to honor the victorious leader with a shower of ticker tape all along his route. At City Hall, LaGuardia presented Eisenhower with a gold medal and honorary citizenship of the city. L–R: Official Greeter Grover Whalen, General de Gaulle, Mayor LaGuardia (©CORBIS) 53 AUGUST 27, 1945 ★ GENERAL CHARLES DE GAULLE, PRESIDENT OF THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE The Gallic leader was taken on a 62-mile trip through 56 OCTOBER 27, 1945 ★ HARRY S. TRUMAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Truman made a five-minute stop at City Hall before motoring on to Central Park, where he delivered a major address to the nation delin- eating 12 fundamental points of U.S. foreign policy. 57 DECEMBER 14, 1945 ★ FLEET ADM. WILLIAM F. HALSEY JR., COMMANDER OF THE NAVY’S THIRD FLEET IN WORLD WAR II Halsey’s ships felled 3,000 Japanese planes and sank 1,650 enemy boats. MAYOR WILLIAM O’DWYER 1946 – 1950 Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine 58 MARCH 15, 1946 ★ WINSTON CHURCHILL, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR II Churchill’s 1946 visit to the U.S. became justly famous for the speech he made at Fulton, Missouri, in which he coined the phrase “Iron Curtain.” His post-parade remarks at New York’s City Hall were equally noteworthy. With his country and Europe in ruins at war’s end, he declared that the power of the United States was now the “great- est of any nation since the fall of the Roman Empire.” 64 JUNE 9, 1947 ★ WILLIE TURNESA, BRITISH AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPION, AND FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE VICTORIOUS AMERICAN WALKER CUP TEAM Born in White Plains, New York, Willie Turnesa was one of seven golf-playing brothers, and the only one who never became a professional golfer. 65 NOVEMBER 5, 1947 ★ OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE FRENCH WARSHIP GEORGES LEYGUES FOR BRINGING RARE FRENCH TAPESTRIES FOR EXHI- BITION AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART Mayor William O’Dwyer remarked that the exhibi- tion “will contribute immensely to the realization that France remains the great bastion of Western European culture that she has always been.” Drew Pearson (©CORBIS) 66 NOVEMBER 18, 1947 ★ FRIENDSHIP TRAIN BEARING GIFTS AND SUPPLIES FROM THE UNITED STATES TO EUROPE Newspaper columnist Drew Pearson conceived the idea of the Friendship Train, which collected food from Americans to help war-ravaged Europe. It eventually grew to 500 cars in length, carrying 11,000 tons of food from around the country. L–R: Former Irish Finance Minister Frank Aiken, City Council President Vincent Impellitteri, Prime Minister De Valera 67 MARCH 9, 1948 ★ EAMON DE VALERA, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND Born in New York City in 1882 and raised in Ireland, De Valera hoped to be the Irish leader who would one day come to the U.S. to announce that all of Ireland was united and free. He died in 1975, with the cause to which he devoted his life still elusive. West Germany. Led by General Clay, the U.S. military conducted a mas- sive airlift that brought in 8,000 tons of food and fuel each day, keeping 2.5 million people alive for more than a year until the blockade was lifted. Mayor O’Dwyer and President Dutra 71 MAY 23, 1949 ★ EURICO GASPAR DUTRA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL Dutra spearheaded the overthrow of Brazilian dictator Getulio Vargas in 1945, and served as president until Vargas returned to power in 1951. 72 AUGUST 11, 1949 ★ ELPIDIO QUIRINO, PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES Quirino was a leader of the Filipino underground during World War II. His wife and three of his five children were killed by the Japanese invaders. 73 AUGUST 19, 1949 ★ CONNIE MACK ON HIS 50TH YEAR AS MANAGER OF THE PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS BASE- BALL TEAM The partisan crowd cheered wildly when a car in the motorcade carrying Joe DiMaggio and three other Yankee teammates passed by. “Mr. Baseball,” the 86- year-old Cornelius McGillicuddy, a.k.a. Connie Mack, received a polite welcome. At the City Hall cer- emony, Mayor O’Dwyer informed the audience that “Mr. Mack was once the person I hated most in the entire United States,” recalling the Athletics’ 1911 defeat of the New York Giants in the World Series. “But old wounds have healed,” he concluded. O’Dwyer saluted the friendly rivalry between the New York and Philadelphia teams, and honored Connie Mack for his 66 years in organized baseball, noting that as athlete, manager, and owner, his life story was truly a his- tory of the game. 76 OCTOBER 17, 1949 ★ JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA Nehru was India’s first prime minister after independence from Britain. At City Hall, Nehru said he was “overwhelmed” by his reception. “The people along the street,” he said, “looked at me with friendly eyes and friendly faces. That means more to me than this ceremony.” His daughter Indira Gandhi accompanied him on the New York City trip. She would lead India from 1966 until her assassina- tion in 1984. L–R: Official Greeter Grover Whalen, Shah of Iran, Mayor O’Dwyer 77 NOVEMBER 21, 1949 ★ MOHAMMED REZA PAHLEVI, SHAH OF IRAN The Shah ascended to the throne in 1941 and narrowly escaped assassination in 1949. Mayor O’Dwyer dons Chilean native costume to greet President Videla 78 APRIL 17, 1950 ★ GABRIEL GONZALEZ VIDELA, PRESIDENT OF CHILE Videla informed New York City reporters that the Communist Party in Chile was not a democratic political party, but rather “an invisi- ble army at the service of Russia’s imperialism.” with another woman. She went on to become a nightclub singer known as “La Tigresa,” and in 1995 was elected to the Mexican senate. 82 MAY 10, 1950 ★ TEN FOREIGN MAYORS ATTENDING THE 18TH ANNUAL U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS City Hall echoed with the sound of Mexican folk songs played by the Banda Tipica, a 46- member costumed band from Mexico City on hand to entertain the visiting dignitaries. 83 JUNE 2, 1950 ★ FOURTH MARINE DIVISION ASSOCIATION VETERANS OF PACIFIC BATTLES IN WORLD WAR II General Clifton B. Cates, comman- dant of the Marine Corps, used his speech at City Hall to answer critics who said the Marines had outlived their usefulness. “The Marine Corps may look to the past for its inspiration,” he said, “but I can assure you it looks to the future for its justification.” Mayor O’Dwyer and Prime Minister Menzies 84 AUGUST 4, 1950 ★ ROBERT GORDON MENZIES, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA In his post-parade remarks, Menzies promised that Australian soldiers would soon be fighting alongside the Americans in Korea. In the 1960s, he dispatched his troops to support the U.S. war effort in South Vietnam. 85 AUGUST 22, 1950 ★ LT. GEN. CLARENCE R. HUEBNER, COMMANDER OF U.S. ARMED FORCES IN EUROPE General Huebner was the highest- ranking member of the First U.S. Infantry Division. Between World War I and II, the Division had its official home at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. 88 APRIL 20, 1951 ★ GEN. DOUGLAS MACARTHUR In one of the biggest ticker-tape parades in New York City history, an estimated 7.5 mil- lion spectators turned out to wel- come home the five-star general after his sensational firing by President Truman. MacArthur was relieved of his command after call- ing for an escalation of the Korean War, an escalation that Truman believed risked touching off World War III. 89 MAY 9, 1951 ★ DAVID BEN-GURION, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL The Zionist leader, Israel’s first prime minister, governed from 1948 to 1953. The trip was a home- coming for Ben-Gurion’s Brooklyn- born wife Paula Moonvess, and she received almost as much attention as he did. 90 MAY 24, 1951 ★ U.S. ARMY 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION, EIGHTH REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM: THE FIRST NATO TROOPS TO BE SENT OVERSEAS There was little cheering along the parade route as the sol- diers marched off to fight in the Korean war. 94 OCTOBER 8, 1951 ★ NEW YORK NATIONAL GUARD’S 165TH INFANTRY REGIMENT ON ITS CENTENNIAL The regiment, formed as the 69th Infantry of the New York State Militia on October 12, 1851, won fame as the “Fighting 69th.” It became the 165th Infantry in 1917. Australian Army Sgt. Allen Carmichael and Navy Petty Officer Reginald Bairstow 95 OCTOBER 29, 1951 ★ 50 WOUNDED UNITED NATIONS VETER- ANS OF THE KOREAN WAR Injured soldiers from 19 nations toured the country under the sponsorship of the U.S. Defense Department “to foster understanding of the United Nations effort to resist communist aggression in Korea.” Assistant Secretary of Defense Anna Rosenberg greets potential women recruits 96 NOVEMBER 13, 1951 ★ WOMEN IN THE ARMED SERVICES The U.S. Defense Department asked the city to stage a parade dramatizing the need for 72,000 women recruits in all service branches. Forty women signed up at the City Hall ceremony. 97 JANUARY 17, 1952 ★ CAPT. HENRIK KURT CARLSEN FOR HIS HEROIC ATTEMPT TO SAVE HIS SINK- ING SHIP, THE S.S. FLYING ENTERPRISE Carlsen spent 12 days aboard his doomed vessel to pre- vent it being claimed for salvage by another ship. He was finally per- suaded to abandon ship just 40 minutes before it sank off Lizard Point, the southernmost tip of England. The city built a model of the ship’s bow on the steps of City Hall to honor the captain, a native of Elsinore, Denmark, and a resi- dent of Woodbridge, New Jersey. He was 25 years old and the most popular member of the royal family. Unexpectedly, Edward’s remarkable sense of style gave the greatest boost to British trade. Exports boomed as mills and factories in England worked overtime to meet the demand generated by men around the world who wanted to dress like the prince. The press care- fully chronicled his ever-changing wardrobe. The Globe’s description of his outfit for the City Hall recep- tion following the parade was typi- cal: “He wore a light gray overcoat, over a bluish gray suit, with a deli- cate check mixture, tan cordovan brogue oxfords, heavy brown golf stockings, a blue tie, with red stripes, and a black bowler hat, tilted at a rakish angle. He carried a cane that seemed class itself.” Edward ascended the throne in January 1936, only to abdicate after 325 days in order to marry “the woman I love,” the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. He was subsequently made Duke of Windsor, served dur- ing the war years as governor of the Bahamas, and spent the rest of his life in retirement in Paris, where he died in 1972. MAYOR JAMES J. WALKER 1926 – 1932 15 FEBRUARY 16, 1926 ★ CAPT. GEORGE FRIED AND THE CREW OF THE STEAMSHIP PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT FOR RESCUING THE CREW OF THE BRITISH FREIGHTER ANTINOE New Yorkers by the thousands braved bitter winter weather to salute Captain Fried and his crew, who had battled violent seas in a North Atlantic storm for four days to save all 25 men of the Antinoe. Princess Louise and Crown Prince Gustaf Adolph (©CORBIS) 16 MAY 27, 1926 ★ GUSTAF ADOLPH AND LOUISE, CROWN PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF SWEDEN Newspaper reporters interviewed the prince during his New York City visit. “It was a most amusing and interest- ing experience,” said His Royal Highness, commenting on his first encounter with journalists. 17 JUNE 23, 1926 ★ LT. COMDR. RICHARD E. BYRD AND FLOYD BENNETT FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT OVER THE NORTH POLE Byrd and Bennett flew from Kings Bay, Spitsbergen (Norway), to the North Pole in a Fokker trimotor. They named their aircraft the Josephine Ford, for the daughter of Edsel Ford, a primary backer of the mission. This was the first of three ticker-tape parades that Byrd would receive for daring exploits during his lifetime (see nos. 23 and 35). Queen Marie and Mayor Walker 21 OCTOBER 18, 1926 ★ MARIE, QUEEN OF RUMANIA The grand- daughter of Czar Alexander II of Russia and Queen Victoria of England, Marie was instrumental in bringing Romania into WWI on the side of the Allies. Marie had just two hours for her visit, but that was long enough for New Yorkers to express their appreciation with a ticker-tape parade. 22 JUNE 13, 1927 ★ CHARLES A. LINDBERGH, FOR THE FIRST SOLO NONSTOP TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT The moment he landed in Paris on May 21, 1927—33 hours, 30 min- utes, and 28 seconds after leaving Long Island—Lindbergh became the focus of unprecedented world adulation, and the first media superstar of the 20th century. His ticker-tape parade had ten thou- sand soldiers and sailors leading the way, and shredded paper and confetti so thick that few could even see the young aviator. received the attention she dreamed of, with her every change of costume duly noted in the press. Her subsequent vaudeville tour and film career were less than stellar. Married six times, she died in San Francisco in 1977. L-R: Official Greeter Grover Whalen, President Cosgrave, Mayor Walker 25 JANUARY 20, 1928 ★ WILLIAM T. COSGRAVE, PRESIDENT OF IRELAND New York City officials feared that the political unrest in Ireland might follow Cosgrave across the Atlantic. There were almost as many police- men as spectators along the parade route as he sped through the city on a three-hour visit. 26 APRIL 30, 1928 ★ CAPT. HERMANN KOEHL, MAJ. JAMES FITZMAURICE AND BARON GUENTHER VON HUENEFELD FOR THE LONGEST WESTWARD TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT As soon as the German and Irish aviators took off from Dublin, headed for New York, on April 12, 1928, thousands of spectators gathered at Long Island’s Mitchel Field to await their arrival. After flying 37 hours, a dangerous storm and mechanical difficulties forced the crew to land on Greenly Island, Labrador. The disappointed crowds waiting in New York were nonethe- less elated at news of their safe, but premature, landing in North America. They quickly began prepa- rations for a ticker-tape parade to celebrate this great achievement. 27 MAY 4, 1928 ★ PRINCE LUDOVICO POTENZIANI SPADA, GOVERNOR OF ROME The ticker-tape parade and reception was Mayor James J. Walker’s way of thanking the prince, his host in Rome the previous summer. 32 APRIL 29, 1930 ★ HENRY LEWIS STIMSON, SECRETARY OF STATE, AND U.S. DELEGATES RETURNING FROM THE LONDON NAVAL DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE Stimson, principal negotiator for the U.S., brokered the agreement that sought to elimi- nate naval competition between the U.S., England, Japan, France, and Italy. 33 MAY 26, 1930 ★ MARQUIS JACQUES DE DAMPIERRE AND FAMILY, DESCENDANTS OF THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE, PASSENGERS ON THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE FRENCH OCEAN LINER LAFAYETTE Lafayette’s courage and assistance to the American cause in the Revolutionary War had long symbolized the bond between the U.S. and France. A century and a half later, New Yorkers honored his descendants with a fitting reception. 34 JUNE 11, 1930 ★ DR. JULIO PRESTES DE ALBUQUERQUE, PRESI- DENT-ELECT OF BRAZIL The famously tardy Mayor Walker had to admit that the seven hours Dr. Prestes kept him waiting was a record he could not beat. The Brazil- ian statesman’s arrival had been delayed by fog in the Lower Bay. 35 JUNE 18, 1930 ★ REAR ADM. RICHARD E. BYRD FOR HIS FIRST ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION AND FLIGHT OVER THE SOUTH POLE The expedi- tion began in 1927 with 41 men, two ships, four planes, 94 dogs, and food and supplies for two years. On November 28, 1929, Byrd, along with Bernt Balchen, Ashley McKinley, and Harold June, flew from their base camp at the Bay of Whales to the South Pole. They returned to New York in June 1930 for a ticker-tape reception, the third for Byrd (see nos. 17 and 23). 36 JULY 2, 1930 ★ BOBBY JONES, BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION Jones earned his second ticker-tape parade (see no. 18) for being the first American to win both the British open golf championship and the British amateur crown. and institute a reign of terror. He drafted laborers for German facto- ries, cooperated in the persecution and deportation of Jews to death camps, and advocated collabora- tion with the Nazis. After the war he was tried for treason and executed. 41 OCTOBER 26, 1931 ★ HENRI PHILLIPPE PÉTAIN, MARSHAL OF FRANCE New Yorkers saluted Pétain for his heroism during World War I, long before he earned a death sentence (later commuted to life imprisonment) for collaboration with the Nazis in World War II. 42 NOVEMBER 30, 1931 ★ DINO GRANDI, FOREIGN MINISTER OF ITALY As a representative of Italian dicta- tor Benito Mussolini, Grandi gave the fascist salute at his City Hall reception. Later in the day, anti-fas- cist demonstrators hung him in effigy in Union Square. 43 JUNE 20, 1932 ★ AMELIA EARHART, FOR THE FIRST SOLO TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT BY A WOMAN Determined to set a flight record of her own (see no. 28), Earhart (now Mrs. Putnam) flew from Newfoundland to Dublin, the first solo and longest nonstop flight by a woman. Five years later, with copi- lot Frederick J. Noonan, she attempted to fly around the world. With two-thirds of their flight com- pleted, they departed from New Guinea on July 1, 1937, but were never seen again. Their fate remains a mystery. MAYOR JOHN P. O’BRIEN 1933 44 JULY 21, 1933 ★ ITALIAN AIR MARSHAL ITALO BALBO AND THE CREWS OF 24 SEAPLANES FOR THEIR FLIGHT FROM ROME TO CHICAGO The mass formation of seaplanes flying 6,065 miles in 49 hours was intended to demonstrate the tech- nical prowess of “modern fascist Italy.” In 1940, during World War II, Balbo was killed by friendly fire as he flew over North Africa. 45 JULY 26, 1933 ★ WILEY POST FOR THE FIRST SOLO FLIGHT AROUND THE WORLD (7 DAYS, 18 HOURS, 49 MINUTES) Post bested his own circumnavigation record in his Lockheed Vega 5B, Winnie Mae, flying from, and returning to, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn. In 1935 he was killed in a plane crash in Alaska, along with the humorist Will Rogers. ©Bettmann/CORBIS 48 JULY 15, 1938 ★ HOWARD HUGHES AND CREW FOR THEIR RECORD-BREAKING FLIGHT AROUND THE WORLD (3 DAYS, 19 HOURS, 8 MINUTES) Starting and finishing at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, Hughes and his crew—Thomas M. Thurlow, Harry P.M. Connor, Richard Stoddart, and Edward Lund—flew in a modified Lockheed Super Electra at an average speed of 206.1 mph. Hughes used radio communications, navigation, and weather forecasting that set new standards for airline travel. ©Museum of Flight/CORBIS 49 AUGUST 5, 1938 ★ DOUGLAS “WRONG WAY” CORRIGAN FOR HIS FLIGHT FROM NEW YORK TO IRELAND INSTEAD OF HIS “INTENDED” DESTINA- TION OF CALIFORNIA “My name’s Corrigan. I left New York yesterday morning headed for California, but I got mixed up in the clouds and must have flown the wrong way.” For the rest of his life, Corrigan never wavered from the story he gave the authorities after landing in Dublin. The saga of the second- hand flying jalopy and its shy smil- ing pilot—who was told he could not fly across the Atlantic, but did anyway—greatly appealed to the Depression-weary American public. His famous “wrong-way” flight inspired medals, awards, and prod- ucts named after him, including a watch that ran backwards. Corrigan later owned an orange grove in southern California. He died in 1995 at age 82. Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, where he visited Idlewild Airport (now Kennedy), then under con- struction. De Gaulle resigned the presidency in January 1946 when it became clear that his views favoring a strong executive would not be incorporated into a new constitution. Brig. Gen. Lewis Beebe and General Wainwright (©CORBIS) 54 SEPTEMBER 13, 1945 ★ GEN. JONATHAN M. WAINWRIGHT, HERO OF THE BATTLES OF BATAAN AND CORREGIDOR IN WORLD WAR II Wainwright spent three years, three months, and 18 days in Japanese prison camps. During that time, his wife wrote him as many as seven letters a week – of which he received a total of six. The period of the general’s imprisonment was the first time the Wainwrights had been separated since World War I. When speaking to City Hall reporters, Mrs. Wainwright said, “After you’ve been married 34 years, why, four years is a small time in your life, I suppose.” She paused a moment, and then repeated, “I suppose.” ©CORBIS 55 OCTOBER 9, 1945 ★ FLEET ADM. CHESTER W. NIMITZ, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE NAVY’S PACIFIC FLEET IN WORLD WAR II Nimitz’s wartime responsibilities made him the equal of Eisenhower and MacArthur, and the huge crowds along the parade route made sure he knew it. 59 OCTOBER 23, 1946 ★ DELEGATES TO THE FIRST PLENARY SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS In his welcoming speech at temporary U.N. head- quarters in Flushing, Queens, President Truman told the dele- gates, “This meeting … symbolizes the abandonment by the U.S. of a policy of isolation.” No prayer was offered at the Assembly opening out of respect for the delegates’ diverse religious traditions. 60 OCTOBER 25, 1946 ★ COL. CLARENCE S. IRVINE, COMMANDER OF THE B-29 DREAMBOAT, AND HIS CREW OF ARMY AIRMEN FOR THEIR HONOLULU-TO-CAIRO FLIGHT OVER THE NORTH POLE “Our mission is to go anywhere in the world anytime we want,” declared the colonel. His nonstop flight, the first to cross the magnetic North Pole, covered a dis- tance of 10,873 miles. 61 JANUARY 13, 1947 ★ ALCIDE DE GASPERI, PREMIER OF ITALY De Gasperi founded the Christian Democratic party and, from 1945 to 1953, led eight successive coalition governments. 62 FEBRUARY 7, 1947 ★ HAROLD ALEXANDER, VISCOUNT OF TUNIS, FIELD MARSHAL OF THE BRITISH ARMIES IN WORLD WAR II, AND GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA The field marshal’s uniform displayed ten rows of ribbons, testimony to his exceptional military career in two world wars. In the first, he led his men into combat against the enemy. During the second, he directed heroic retreats in Burma and Dunkirk, fought in North Africa, and served as the supreme commander of Allied Forces in the Mediterranean. President Aleman and Mayor O’Dwyer (©CORBIS) 63 MAY 2, 1947 ★ MIGUEL ALEMAN, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO The son of a famous guerrilla leader, Aleman had become a wealthy labor lawyer by the time of his 1946 election to the presidency. He bought his suits in Hollywood, his Rolls-Royces in Britain, and on the weekends, flew his DC-3 plane to the beaches of Acapulco. President Gallegos and Mayor O’Dwyer 68 JULY 7, 1948 ★ RÓMULO GALLEGOS, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA Gallegos, a popular novelist, held office only a few months before being overthrown by a reactionary military coup. Spectators in native costume view the ceremonies in City Hall Park 69 FEBRUARY 3, 1949 ★ FRENCH GRATITUDE TRAIN BEARING GIFTS FROM FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES IN APPRECIATION OF THE FRIENDSHIP TRAIN France sent the 49-car train (one car for each state, plus the District of Columbia) as a “thank you” for the Friendship Train (see no. 66). Originally used to carry American soldiers to the front dur- ing World War I, the boxcars con- tained gifts, including dishes, clothing, rare paintings, and books. At the City Hall ceremony following the parade, Mayor O’Dwyer pre- sented Drew Pearson, originator of the Friendship Train, with the city’s certificate for distinguished and exceptional public service. Soldiers on parade in City Hall Park for General Clay 70 MAY 19, 1949 ★ GEN. LUCIUS D. CLAY, MILITARY GOVERNOR OF GERMANY AND COMMANDER OF THE BERLIN AIRLIFT Isolated within Soviet-controlled East Germany and partitioned into Allied and Soviet sectors, post-war Berlin was the focus of continuing Cold War confrontations. In 1948, the Soviet Union attempted to drive the Allies from the city by imposing a block- ade of all land and water communi- cations between West Berlin and 74 SEPTEMBER 16, 1949 ★ 48 EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS IN CELEBRA- TION OF FREEDOM OF THE PRESS DAY DURING THEIR U.S. TOUR The news- papermen, from 14 European coun- tries, were on a two-week junket to the U.S. to report firsthand on the American way of life. One of the journalists, Ralph Pride, editor of Scotland’s Dundee Evening Telegraph and Post, thoughtfully sent Mayor O’Dwyer a copy of the article he wrote describing his impressions of the American char- acter. “[He] is the most friendly and hospitable chap in the world … . He doesn’t save money for his old age, but enjoys life as he goes … . He’s the best-disciplined pedestrian in the world, crossing the street only on the green or the policeman’s whistle. In short, he works hard, plays hard, and looks happy.” L–R: City Comptroller Lazarus Joseph, Mayor O’Dwyer, Mrs. and Mr. William Garbarina 75 OCTOBER 4, 1949 ★ RAYMOND A. GARBARINA MEMORIAL POST 1523 FOR WINNING THE AMERICAN LEGION DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP The Post was named for Private Garbarina, killed in combat in Europe during World War II. Admiral Kinkaid and City Council President Vincent Impellitteri 79 APRIL 28, 1950 ★ ADM. THOMAS C. KINKAID, HERO OF WORLD WAR II NAVAL BATTLES AND RETIRING COMMANDER OF THE NAVY’S EASTERN SEA FRONTIER AND THE ATLANTIC RESERVE FLEET Kinkaid was made a full admiral in 1945 for his naval victories during World War II at Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Kiska, New Guinea, and the Philippines. 80 MAY 8, 1950 ★ LIAQUAT ALI KHAN, PRIME MINISTER OF PAKISTAN Khan served as Pakistan’s first prime minister after partition from India. He was assassinated in 1951. L–R: Mrs. William O’Dwyer, Governor Aleman, Senora Casas Aleman 81 MAY 9, 1950 ★ FERNANDO CASAS ALEMAN, GOVERNOR OF MEXICO CITY FEDERAL DISTRICT The governor had a somewhat more interesting domestic life than the demure fam- ily photographs taken during his New York City visit would suggest. One of his mistresses, the 15-year- old Irma Serrano, slashed Aleman in the face when she caught him Mayor O’Dwyer and his wife Sloan Simpson leave Gracie Mansion for the last time on their way to farewell ceremonies downtown 86 AUGUST 31, 1950 ★ WILLIAM O’DWYER UPON HIS RESIGNATION AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK The Daily News observed that the city gave a “restrained adios” to O’Dwyer as he left for Mexico and his post as the American ambassa- dor. The reason for his abrupt resig- nation, only eight months into his second term as mayor, remained unstated, but in 1951 O’Dwyer appeared before the Kefauver Senate Crime Committee. Although never charged with wrongdoing, O’Dwyer apparently had had improper dealings with criminal elements while serving both as Kings County District Attorney and as mayor. MAYOR VINCENT R. IMPELLITTERI 1950 – 1953 President Auriol (at far right) and his wife Michelle aboard the Isle de France in New York Harbor 87 APRIL 3, 1951 ★ VINCENT AURIOL, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE During World War II, Auriol worked in the French underground. The first president of the Fourth Republic, he served from 1947 to 1954. President Plaza and Mayor Impellitteri 91 JUNE 25, 1951 ★ GALO PLAZA LASSO, NATIVE NEW YORKER AND PRESIDENT OF ECUADOR President Plaza was born in New York City at the Hotel Marlton, 5 West 8th Street, in 1906, while his father was serving as minister to the U.S. A liberal democrat and an expert in mechanized agriculture, Plaza was Ecuador’s first constitutionally elected president in 28 years to complete his term. 92 SEPTEMBER 17, 1951 ★ SIR DENYS LOWSON, 623RD LORD MAYOR OF LONDON Sir Denys came to New York after visiting seven countries on a goodwill tour arranged in con- nection with the Festival of Britain. 93 SEPTEMBER 28, 1951 ★ ALCIDE DE GASPERI, PREMIER OF ITALY In remarks at City Hall following his ticker-tape reception, his second (see no. 61), De Gasperi urged the U.S. to help ease overpopulation in Italy by reducing immigration restrictions. L–R: Mayor Impellitteri, Queen Juliana, Prince Bernhard 98 APRIL 7, 1952 ★ JULIANA, QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS, AND PRINCE BERNHARD During their busy day in the city, the royal couple stopped at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church at 122nd Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, where they were greeted by a crowd estimated at 7,500. 99 MAY 14, 1952 ★ MAYORS OF 250 CITIES ATTENDING THE 20TH ANNUAL U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS Public officials from 250 cities heard the president of their organization blast Congress for having “failed com- pletely” to provide for a civil defense program. They feared that an atomic attack could result in as many as 7.5 million casualties. 100 JULY 7, 1952 ★ U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM SEND-OFF TO THE HELSINKI GAMES The American team went on to win 75 medals in the interna- tional contest, the most of any nation. The second-place Russian team, competing for the first time since 1912, won 68 medals. THE CANYON OF HEROES T here is no thrill quite like a ticker-tape parade. All along Broadway, from the Battery to City Hall, hundreds of thousands of spectators crowd the sidewalks and look down from skyscraper windows. They cheer and shout and toss confetti in a shower that becomes a blizzard of shredded paper falling on the motorcade below. Flags, marching bands, and music herald the procession. At City Hall, the mayor presents the honored guest with a proclamation, a medal, a scroll, or a key to the city. In two hundred parades, over more than one hundred years, the city has bestowed this unique tribute on champion athletes, pioneers of air and space travel, soldiers, sailors, sea captains, firemen, heads- of-state, politicians, journalists, and a virtuoso pianist. Ticker-tape parades evolved from New York City’s long history of public celebrations. In the colonial era, soldiers displayed their colors in ceremonial reviews. Following the American Revolution, parades commemorated events of national importance, such as Evacuation Day and Independence Day. The city staged parades to mark the completion of the Croton Aqueduct, the Erie Canal, the Brooklyn Bridge, and other great public-works achievements of the th century. Parades sponsored by political parties, immigrant groups, and labor organizations became a regular feature of city life. Parades afforded more than just free entertainment; they helped unify a diverse immigrant population in a rapidly growing city. Ticker tape and skyscrapers added new excitement to New York City parades. Invented in , ticker tape was a one-inch-wide ribbon of paper on which the “ticker” machine recorded telegraphed stock quotes. Brokerage firms using the ticker machine proliferated in lower Manhattan, then as now the city’s financial district, and provided an abundant supply of scrap paper. In the latter part of the th century, skyscrapers replaced low buildings and turned the narrow downtown streets into stone canyons. Office workers quickly discovered that ticker tape sent swirling into the air created a dramatic effect. Contemporary accounts of the earliest ticker-tape parades describe the cascade of scrap paper as a spontaneous gesture on the part of spectators inspired by the festivities outside their windows. As the practice grew, city officials recognized the promotional value of ticker-tape parades and began to plan them as a function of municipal government. From to the present day, the mayor of New York City has decided who will receive a ticker-tape parade. The first officially organized ticker-tape parades welcomed home the victorious soldiers of World War I. New York City customarily greeted important foreign visitors with great fanfare. In the , with ticker tape seen as a modernization of the ancient ritual of strewing flowers before conquerors, it became routine to hail arriving heads-of-state with a paper shower. The city started a tradition of recognizing champion athletes with the ticker-tape parade for the American Olympic team in . The massive reception for pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh in attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators to lower Manhattan and made the ticker-tape parade famous around the world. The city staged ticker-tape parades from to . More than half of these events greeted visiting heads-of-state, usually at the request of the U.S. State Department. Patriotic display, an important element in all parades, prevailed in ticker-tape receptions of this era. Returning World War II leaders, troops sent to fight in Korea, retiring high-ranking military personnel, and foreign dignitaries all received ticker-tape parades that prominently featured men and women of the armed services. The city perfected the art of an efficient ticker-tape parade during this period, when as many as three were held in three days (May ‒, ). Coordinated by the mayor’s office, with assistance from the police department and other New York City municipal agencies, the parades formed at the Battery. This practice dated from the time when travelers to the city arrived via ocean liner. The parade started at noon in order to take advantage of lunch-hour crowds. Marching bands from one or more branches of the military service, or from departments of city government, led the parade. Accompanied by the city’s chief of protocol, and escorted by motorcycle-riding New York City police officers, the honoree rode up Broadway in an open limousine. A luncheon banquet at a midtown hotel usually followed the City Hall ceremony. In , the Chrysler Corporation custom-built an Imperial “phaeton” limousine expressly for New York City ticker-tape parades. It featured a rear-seat windshield, leather upholstery, red carpeting, built-in flag holders, and a special cushion atop the backseat for the dignitary who wanted to sit up high. The phaeton, with restyled fenders and grill, is still used in ticker-tape parades today. By the early , there had been so many ticker-tape parades that they came to be viewed as synthetic and routine. The city had to deliver confetti and shredded paper to buildings along Broadway to ensure the honored guest an appropriate cascade of paper. Businesses in lower Manhattan complained of disruptions. The parades seemed anachronistic to many Americans who were beginning to question authority and shun patriotic display. When John Lindsay, New York’s youthful new mayor, took office in , he announced that his administration would discontinue the ticker-tape parade in favor of more informal receptions tailored to the special interests of the guest. Lindsay did not give up parades completely. The spectacular success of America’s Apollo space program in 1969 cried out for ticker- tape celebrations. He broke with tradition, however, by riding with the Apollo astronauts in their motorcades. Previous mayors had waited at City Hall to greet the honored guests, who were escorted up Broadway by the city’s chief of protocol. As the th century drew to a close, the ticker-tape parade regained some of the excitement and spontaneity of its earlier years. Lindsay’s parade for the New York Mets established a new tradition for baseball teams who won the World Series. The parades for the Korean and Vietnam war veterans, though organized many years after the fact, acknowledged a growing revival in patriotism. The parade for the Gulf War soldiers in recalled the custom of welcoming home the troops. The numbers of spectators, estimated in the millions, thronging lower Manhattan to hail the sports stars of recent years, have not been seen since the days of the aviators in the . After more than a century, the New York City ticker-tape parade remains the ultimate mark of approval for a job well-done. The ticker-tape parades in the following list all took place, at least in part, along the traditional route from the Battery, up Broadway, to City Hall. Kenneth R. Cobb Director, New York City Municipal Archives Grover Whalen (see photo, parade no. ) did not invent the ticker-tape parade, but he is credited with making it a New York City institution. Appointed by Mayor Hylan as the city’s official greeter in , Whalen had the idea to throw ticker-tape receptions for returning World War I soldiers and to continue the practice for distinguished guests over the next three decades. Famous for his top hat and the carnation he always wore in his lapel, the handsome Manhattan-born host presided over more than , public events and organized more than ticker-tape parades before he retired in . In addition to his unsalaried protocol duties, Whalen helped found the municipal radio station WNYC, headed the organization that built the ⁄ New York World’s Fair, and, in , inaugurated the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Annual Award for clothing design. Whalen died in at age . GROVER WHALEN Charles Lindbergh’s legendary ticker-tape reception in was one of parades celebrating achievements in aviation. The exploits of the daring pilots were more than just publicity stunts—they helped focus popular attention on the commercial possibilities of aviation. Of all the offers Lindbergh received after his famous flight, ranging from film contracts in Hollywood to a cabinet-level position in Washington, he chose a three-month tour to promote aircraft as a regular means of transport for both goods and people. THE AVIATORS Until the early , New York City financed ticker-tape parades out of its own pocket. It is not certain whether the federal government helped defray the cost of the numerous head- of-state parades that the State Department requested from the city during the and . Mayor Wagner’s letter to President Eisenhower asking him to “share the expenses” of official receptions suggests that federal assistance was not customary. The recession that hit the city shortly after Mayor Dinkins took office in forced him to solicit private donations and corporate sponsorship for the parades held during his admin- istration. Even with the city’s recovery in recent years, outside funds are still necessary to underwrite the considerable expense of staging a ticker-tape parade. WHO PAYS FOR A PARADE? EXCHANGE PL EXCHANGE ALLE Y WALL ST Historic Battery Park MORRIS ST STATE ST BEAVER ST STONE ST WHITEHALL ST BATTERY PL BROADWAY THE CANYON OF HEROES BROADWAY RECTOR ST 1 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 21 23 28 30 32 35 68 71 72 73 74 76 78 81 82 84 37 39 41 43 44 48 49 51 53 55 57 59 62 63 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 34 36 38 40 42 45 46 47 50 52 54 56 58 60 61 64 65 66 67 69 70 75 77 79 80 83 85 86 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 101 103 2 3 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 3 1 3 3 1 Broadway Mercantile Marine Company Building United States Customs House Bowling Green Fence 5-11 Broadway Bowling Green Offifices Building 25 Broadway Cunard Building 65 Broadway American Express Company Building 26 Broadway Standard Oil Building 1 Wall Street 100 Broadway American Surety Company Building Arturo DiModica sculpture Charging Bull 71 Broadway Empire Building Trinity Church and Graveyard Buildings noted are New York City designated landmarks. Please note the location of individual Canyon of Heroes markers is subject to change.
