A By-The-Numbers Look at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has long been a holiday tradition to be enjoyed before the first slice of turkey lands on the plate. Festive balloons, marching bands and colorful floats help kick off the holiday season.

As organizers prepare for the 84^th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, here's a by-the-numbers look at the history of the event:

2 ½. Distance, in miles, of the official parade route. The parade begins at 77th Street and Central Park West, ending up at 34th Street and 7th Avenue near Macy's in Herald Square.

1924. The year in which a group of Macy's employees organized the original Macy's Christmas Parade. Instead of balloons, this parade featured approximately 300 employees in costume plus two dozen animals on loan from the Central Park Zoo .

1927. The first year the now-traditional balloons appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Favorite balloon characters from past years include the 1960's cartoon hero Underdog and more contemporary animated creatures like SpongeBob SquarePants, Garfield and Super Grover from the long-running "Sesame Street" television series.

12,000. The amount of helium, in cubic feet, it took to inflate the Big Bird balloon for the 2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Living up to his name, this "Sesame Street" favorite measured 63 feet long, 28 feet wide and 46 feet tall.

1973. The year in which the famous Macy's balloons were grounded due to high winds and bad weather .

4. Number of spectators injured by a 1997 balloon accident . During the parade, an 18-foot-high Cat in the Hat Balloon struck a lamppost and the falling debris injured four spectators in Times Square.

Kathy Caronna, a wife and mother from Manhattan, was struck by a 100 pound portion of the lamppost, leaving her in critical condition after the parade.

In an interview with "People" magazine one year later, Caronna said it was unlikely she would able to return to her job as a financial analyst .

23. Following the 1997 accident that hospitalized Kathy Caronna, Mayor Rudy Giuliani headed up a new parade safety taskforce. In addition to size constraints on parade balloons, Giuliani and the task force said no balloons could fly during "sustained wind conditions" of 23 mph or greater.

If wind gusts reach 34 mph or higher, the balloons also will sit out the parade on the sidelines. Giuliani's new regulations required that parade organizers consult the National Weather Service in the hours leading up to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The 1998 regulations also call for a licensed meteorologist to be on hand to monitor the last-minute weather conditions prior to the start of the parade.

50-60. The number of trained handlers required for each large parade balloon. The 1998 safety regulations specify that each large balloon requires a captain, two assistant captains, a pilot and two assistant pilots.

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