In New York City's Times Square celebration, the Ball Drop traditionally begins its descent at 11:59 p.m.
The illuminated ball takes about one minute to travel down the flagpole atop One Times Square. It reaches the bottom precisely at midnight, marking the beginning of the new year. This timing lets the descent itself become the final visible countdown of the old year.
The Times Square tradition began in 1907, when the first New Year's Eve ball was lowered from the roof of the former New York Times building. Earlier celebrations had used fireworks, but city restrictions encouraged the newspaper's owner to develop a safer visual spectacle.
A common mix-up is saying that the ball drops at midnight. In fact, the drop starts one minute earlier and ends at midnight. The modern ball is a geodesic sphere covered with Waterford crystal panels and illuminated by LEDs.