Which New Year's Eve ball has dropped in Times Square since 1907?

The Times Square Ball is the illuminated ball that drops in New York City's Times Square on New Year's Eve.

The tradition began on December 31, 1907, when a lighted ball descended from the flagpole atop One Times Square. Newspaper publisher Adolph Ochs introduced the event as a replacement for the fireworks display previously used to mark the new year. The first ball was made of iron and wood and measured about 5 feet (1.5 meters) across.

The ball has been redesigned several times. The current version is a geodesic sphere covered with Waterford Crystal panels and illuminated by LEDs. The descent lasts about 60 seconds, ending at midnight as the new year begins. The event is sometimes confused with the broader Times Square celebration, but the ball itself is the central object of the countdown.