Times Square first hosted a New Year's Eve celebration in 1904.
The event was organized by The New York Times to celebrate the newspaper's new headquarters in the recently renamed Times Square. On December 31, 1904, fireworks were launched from the building to mark the arrival of 1905.
The famous ball drop came later. The first Times Square Ball descended on December 31, 1907, welcoming 1908. The ball-drop tradition replaced the fireworks display after city officials banned fireworks in the crowded area.
A common mix-up is to identify 1907 as the beginning of New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square. That year marks the first ball drop, while 1904 marks the first celebration organized there. The event has since become one of the world's best-known New Year's traditions.