New York Liberty has become the latest sports team to be honored with a ticker-tape after winning the WNBA championship for the first time in league history.
The last group of athletes that celebrated a major win with a ticker-tape parade in New York City was the U.S. women's national soccer team in 2019, but the confetti-filled party down the "Canyon of Heroes" isn't just reserved for excellence in sports. In the summer of 2021, the city threw one for its healthcare and essential workers who worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here's a little history behind the uniquely New York tradition:
What is a ticker-tape parade?
The history of the ticker-tape parade goes back over a century when someone had the idea to use paper from the ticker-tape machine in the dedication of the Statue of Liberty on Oct. 29, 1886, according to historians.
The machine itself was used to transmit information over telegraph lines, and that information was put on the "tapes" produced by the ticker-tape machines. When the strips of tape were thrown out of windows, it created the confetti-like effect that became part of NYC tradition.
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Wall Street was one of the biggest users of these machines because they received a lot of information.
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Where is the Canyon of Heroes?
The stretch of Broadway between Battery and City Hall has become known as the "Canyon of Heroes."
Because of how ticker-tape parades came to be, that area of the Financial District naturally evolved into the location where over 200 ticker-tape parades are held. The parade route is marked with commemorative plates of major past parades.
Who gets a ticker-tape parade?
As previously mentioned, it's not just winning sports teams that are honored with a party in Lower Manhattan.
Here's a list of some of the most notable honorees:
- 1910 – Theodore Roosevelt, following return from his African expedition.
- 1931 – Wiley Post and Harold Gatty following round-the-world flight.
- 1936 – Jesse Owens following winning four gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
- 1946 – Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1951 – Women of the armed forces
- 1960 – John F. Kennedy, Democratic presidential nominee.
- 1962 – New York Yankees, winners of the World Series.
- 1969 – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, following the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
- 1980 – American hostages released from Iran.
- 1990 – Nelson Mandela of South Africa.
- 2008 – New York Giants championship in Super Bowl XLII.
Will the Yankees get a parade this year?
It is extremely likely that the New York Yankees will get its own ticker-tape parade if they win the World Series against the Dodgers.
The last time the Yankees were honored was after the 2009 World Series championship.
