The Times Square Ball has descended over New York City's Times Square at midnight since the first drop in 1907.
The tradition began as a publicity event for The New York Times. Newspaper owner Adolph Ochs organized a fireworks display to mark the paper's new headquarters at One Times Square, but city officials later banned fireworks. Chief electrician Walter F. Palmer proposed a large illuminated ball inspired by maritime time balls, which dropped to signal an exact time.
The original ball was made of iron and wood and measured about 5 feet across. Successive versions became larger and more technologically elaborate, eventually using Waterford crystal triangles and LED lighting. The ball is lowered during the final minute of the year.
A common mix-up is calling it a crystal ball: it is a time ball used for a public countdown, not a fortune-telling object. The Times Square celebration also includes confetti, performers and crowds along Broadway and Seventh Avenue.