At New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City's Times Square, a ball is lowered during the final countdown.
The tradition began with the first Times Square Ball descent in 1907. The idea was inspired by time balls, which had been used at observatories and ports to communicate a precise time by dropping a visible object. The New York Times adapted that concept for a public celebration after its headquarters helped give the area its famous name.
The ball is lowered down a flagpole at One Times Square, reaching the bottom at midnight. It is not released to fall freely, despite the common phrase “ball drop.” The controlled descent makes it possible to synchronize the event with the official countdown and keep the large crowd below safe.
Successive versions became larger and brighter. The current ball uses thousands of crystal panels and LED lights, but it retains the recognizable spherical form. The ball itself is one of the most widely reproduced images of New Year's Eve celebrations worldwide.