As the Women’s World Cup champions bask in the glory — and mess — of a ticker-tape parade Wednesday, many people not born in the Eisenhower administration are scratching their heads and wondering: What the hell is a ticker tape?

Ticker tape, invented in 1867, was a 1-inch-wide ribbon of paper on which the now-defunct “ticker” machine recorded telegraphed stock quotes. It became obsolete in the 1960s.

“In the latter part of the 19th century, skyscrapers replaced low buildings and turned the narrow downtown streets into stone canyons,” according to the Downtown Alliance. “Office workers quickly discovered that ticker tape sent swirling into the air created a dramatic effect.”

When tossed from up high, the swirling tape creates a celebratory effect.

From 1919 until the present day, the Big Apple mayor has decided who will receive a ticker-tape parade along the less-than-a-mile stretch down Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes.

Ticker tape has since been replaced with confetti or shredded paper.

With Post wires