New York City's Times Square Ball traditionally begins descending at 11:59 p.m. on New Year's Eve.
The descent lasts 60 seconds, ending precisely at midnight as the new year begins. The event takes place atop One Times Square in Manhattan and is watched in person and through worldwide broadcasts.
The ball-drop tradition began in 1907, when an illuminated ball was lowered from the flagpole of the former headquarters of The New York Times. Although the ball has changed in size, lighting, and technology, the final-minute descent remains the ceremony's defining moment.
A common mix-up is saying that the ball drops at midnight. It finishes at midnight; the lowering itself starts one minute earlier.