LEDs replaced incandescent bulbs in the 2008 redesign of New York City's Times Square Ball.
The 2008 ball, created for the centennial of the Times Square tradition, used energy-efficient light-emitting diodes rather than the incandescent bulbs used by earlier versions. Waterford Crystal supplied the triangular crystal panels, while Philips Lighting provided the LED technology. The redesign allowed much more elaborate color and animation effects.
The change was part of a long technological evolution. The first ball in 1907 used 100 incandescent light bulbs, while later versions became larger, brighter, and more weather-resistant. The 2008 ball also introduced a design based on the theme “Let There Be Light,” with more than 9,500 LED lights.
LEDs are often incorrectly called a type of neon lighting. They work differently: an LED produces light when current passes through a semiconductor, while neon signs use gas discharge in a tube. The ball's crystal panels shape and scatter the light, but the LEDs create the illumination.