The first illuminated Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop took place in 1907. The event was organized to mark the arrival of 1908 after the New York Times moved its headquarters to the newly named Times Square. The newspaper had previously celebrated with fireworks, but city officials later restricted that display, encouraging the creation of a large illuminated ball as a replacement.
The original ball was made of iron and wood and decorated with electric lights. It was much smaller and less technologically elaborate than the modern version, but the basic idea of lowering a glowing object at midnight became an enduring annual ritual.
The celebration was suspended during some wartime years when nighttime lighting restrictions applied. Modern versions use computer-controlled lighting and crystal panels, but the central countdown tradition still traces back to the 1907 event.