New York’s Times Square hosted its first New Year’s Eve ball drop in 1907.
The event began after The New York Times held its first New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in 1904. Fireworks were initially used, but city officials later prohibited them, leading the newspaper to arrange a large illuminated ball.
The first ball was lowered from the flagpole atop One Times Square on December 31, 1907, welcoming 1908. The tradition continued, with interruptions during the World War II blackout years of 1942 and 1943, when midnight was observed with darkness and silence instead.
The ball has been redesigned several times. Its descent is now one of the world’s most recognizable New Year’s Eve broadcasts, although the modern event includes elaborate lighting and entertainment beyond the original ceremony.