Top 10 Facts about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

People across the nation look forward to Thanksgiving as a day to sit down to a huge dinner with families and loved ones to reflect on what they're thankful for, to watch football and to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Every year, approximately 3.5 million people attend the parade and line the streets from 77th Street and Central Park West, through Columbus Circle, to Herald Square. An additional 50 million viewers across the country tune in to watch at home and wait anxiously to spot Santa at the end of the parade.

It takes over 10,000 people to put the parade together, filling it with floats, huge helium-filled balloons, marching bands, clowns, cheerleaders, dancers, singers and more. The three-hour event has become America's most beloved parade and one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year.

Here is a list of the top 10 facts you may not have known about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

10) The very first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was in 1924. Back then, the parade was called "The Christmas Parade."

9) The first giant balloon was Felix the Cat, who debuted in 1927.

8) Through the years, hosts of the parade have included Regis Philbin, Bryant Gumbel, Willard Scott, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Katie Couric, Al Roker and Betty White, who hosted from 1962 to 1971.

7) Twelve parade broadcasts have received the daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement.

6) 1946 was the first year the parade was featured on local television - it appeared nationally starting in 1947.

5) 1934 was the first year Macy's teamed up with Disney when they introduced the original Mickey Mouse balloon.

4) The Snoopy balloon made its debut in 1968. Since then he has appeared in 36 parades - more than any other balloon. He also claims the title for the most balloon versions throughout the years.

3) Since 1924, there have only been three years without the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - 1942 to 1944, when World War II brought on helium shortages and because the rubber was needed for the war effort.

2) Another helium shortage in 1958 forced the balloons to travel down Broadway hung on construction cranes.

1) In the early years of the parade, the helium-filled balloons were released at the end of the parade. After the balloons hovered over New York for about a week and fell back to the earth, a $100 prize was awarded to whoever returned the balloon to an address sewn into the material. This practice ended in 1933 when a pilot died after he crashed his plane trying to retrieve a balloon.