What was first lowered in Times Square for New Year's Eve in 1907?

The first Times Square New Year's Eve object lowered in 1907 was a lit ball.

The event began as a replacement for fireworks after New York City officials restricted fireworks displays in the crowded district. Newspaper publisher Adolph Ochs arranged for an illuminated time ball to be lowered from the flagpole atop One Times Square at midnight.

The tradition continued through later designs, including wooden, iron, aluminum, and crystal-covered balls. The modern ball is much larger and more technologically elaborate than the original, but the basic countdown ritual remains the same.

A common mix-up is to call the object a crystal ball. Crystal has been used in later coverings, but the original 1907 object was simply an electrically lit ball. The drop has taken place every year except during wartime blackouts in 1942 and 1943.