The first Times Square Ball drop took place in 1907.
The event was organized for New Year’s Eve on December 31, 1907, at the headquarters of The New York Times in the building now known as One Times Square. The newspaper had moved there in 1904, helping give the surrounding area its enduring name. A fireworks display had been used for earlier celebrations, but city officials later prohibited fireworks, encouraging the creation of a safer visual centerpiece.
The original ball was built from iron and wood, measured about five feet across, and was illuminated by 100 incandescent light bulbs. It was lowered from a flagpole at midnight as crowds gathered below.
The tradition was interrupted during World War II blackouts in 1942 and 1943, when the countdown continued without a lighted ball. Later versions became larger and more technologically advanced, but the basic ritual—an illuminated sphere descending at midnight—has remained recognizable since 1907.