7. Macy’s didn’t hold a parade from 1942-1944
Due to rubber and helium shortages during World War II, Macy’s did not host a parade from 1942 through 1944. The company also donated balloons, which consisted of about 650 pounds of scrap rubber, to the government.
Another helium shortage threatened the parade in 1958. Instead of canceling, Macy’s to filled the balloons with air and hoisted them with trucks and cranes along the parade route that year. The parade persevered again in 2020 in the grips of the coronavirus. Instead of shutting down, there was no live audience.