NBC, New York

The very first Thanksgiving Parade started on November 27, 1924. The history took place in Harlem, on the corner of 145th Street and Convent Street. What has now become a popular Christmas tradition for thousands of visitors, and even a trademark of America, began when 400 department store employees moved.

The city is experiencing one of the toughest years in its history. But New York will reinvent itself again. After all, this is where the best ideas have always come from – from hot dogs to acrylic paint to disco.