Which New Year's Eve event in New York City began in 1907 as a replacement for banned fireworks?

The New Year's Eve event in New York City that began in 1907 as a replacement for banned fireworks is the Times Square Ball Drop.

Newspaper publisher Adolph Ochs organized a celebration at the headquarters of The New York Times, which had moved to the newly developed Times Square area. Fireworks had been used for earlier celebrations, but city officials prohibited them because of fire risk. A lighted ball was therefore lowered from the building's flagpole at midnight on December 31, 1907.

The event continued through the 20th century, with interruptions during the World War II years of 1942 and 1943, when the city observed a dimmed celebration because of wartime blackout restrictions. The ball drop later became a nationally televised ritual and now attracts large crowds, although the modern ball and lighting technology are far more sophisticated than the original.