The first Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop occurred in Times Square in 1907.
The celebration began as a replacement for a fireworks display at the headquarters of The New York Times. The newspaper had moved into the newly named Times Building, now One Times Square, and organized a large public gathering to mark the arrival of 1908. A 700-pound illuminated iron-and-wood ball was lowered from the building’s flagpole at midnight.
The event continued in later years, although the ball was not lowered in 1942 or 1943 because wartime blackout rules limited lighting in New York City. The modern ball is much more technologically advanced, using illuminated crystal panels and computer-controlled lighting.
Times Square is often confused with One Times Square, the building from which the ball descends. The square is the public crossroads; One Times Square is the tower at the center of the ceremony.