What object is dropped in Times Square at midnight on New Year's Eve?

The Times Square Ball is dropped in Times Square at midnight on New Year's Eve.

The tradition began on December 31, 1907, when the first illuminated time ball descended from the flagpole atop One Times Square. It was created for the New Year's Eve celebration organized by Adolph Ochs, publisher of The New York Times, after the newspaper moved its headquarters to the square. The ball-drop ritual replaced a fireworks display that could no longer be held there.

The ball has been redesigned several times as lighting and materials changed. Modern versions use Waterford crystal panels and computer-controlled LEDs, although the descent remains the central ritual. The event pauses during years when the ball drop was not held, including wartime restrictions in 1942 and 1943, when New Yorkers observed midnight in darkness and silence. Times Square itself was named Longacre Square until 1904.