The first Times Square New Year's Eve ball used 100 25-watt light bulbs.
The original ball was lowered for the first time on December 31, 1907, to welcome 1908. It was built from iron and wood by Artkraft Strauss, the sign company headed by metalworker Jacob Starr, and measured about 5 feet across.
The illuminated ball replaced fireworks as Times Square's main spectacle after city officials restricted fireworks launched directly over the crowd. It weighed roughly 700 pounds, making the simple-looking descent a substantial engineering and theatrical feat.
The 25-watt bulbs were incandescent lamps, not modern LEDs. That detail is often blurred with later versions of the ball, which grew larger and incorporated increasingly sophisticated lighting. The first ball began a tradition that continued almost every year, although the drop was suspended in 1942 and 1943 during wartime lighting restrictions.