The Times Square ball drop returned in 1944 after the World War II blackout suspension.
The public ball drop was suspended for New Year's Eve in 1942 and 1943 because wartime blackout restrictions required New York City to reduce visible lights. The city still marked midnight, but the familiar illuminated spectacle could not take place in its usual form. Church bells and a minute of silence provided an alternative public observance.
The ball drop resumed for the arrival of 1945, making the 1944 New Year's Eve celebration the return date. This distinction matters because the year named for a New Year's Eve celebration can differ from the year that begins at midnight: the event occurred on December 31, 1944, and welcomed 1945.
The interruption is one of the clearest examples of the tradition responding to national circumstances. It also shows why a continuous annual history of the ball drop is inaccurate. The celebration began in 1907, but wartime restrictions created a two-year gap.