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Blog - For The Record - NYC Department of Records & Information Services

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The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924 with a parade of store employees and live zoo animals. Balloons were introduced to the parade in 1927. Here is a selection of photos taken by former staff member Ryan Rahman of the 2016 parade.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

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The Municipal Archives’ upcoming trivia night reminds us that New York City has long used questions—and the thrill of answering them under pressure—to engage, educate, and entertain the public. Decades before televised quiz scandals or the high-stakes glitz of commercial networks, WNYC and WNYE were using the question-and-answer format, helping to define one of radio...

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Recently, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) asked the Municipal Archives to participate in a panel discussion The Birth of Identity: Race, Racism, and Personhood in New York City Health Records. Organized by Dr. Michelle Morse, Acting Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer of the DOHMH, the panelists explored the importance of birth certifi...

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Book Sale in the Atrium at 31 Chambers Street, November 7, 2025.

Staff at the Municipal Archives and Library weeded surplus books from our collections for the purpose of holding a two-day book sale of items that might b...

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Chances are pretty good that if you randomly ask someone about New York Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, they will mention him reading the comics over the radio. They may not know why, when or on which radio station, but people almost always seem to know about the readings. The original recordings, housed at the Municipal Archives, are what I call “aural icons”, unique m...

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