Which New Year's Eve event in New York City first used a descending illuminated ball in 1907?

The Times Square ball drop first used a descending illuminated ball in New York City in 1907.

The event was introduced for the New Year's Eve celebration welcoming 1908. The ball was lowered from a flagpole atop the headquarters of The New York Times, the newspaper that had helped give Times Square its name after moving there. The descent provided a visible public signal for midnight.

The original ball was made of iron and wood and decorated with electric lights. Later versions changed in size, materials, lighting, and technology, eventually becoming the highly engineered Waterford Crystal ball displayed today. The modern descent remains one of the world's most recognizable New Year's rituals.

The ball drop did not begin in the current form with a giant crystal sphere. Its 1907 predecessor was much smaller and simpler, and wartime restrictions caused the public lighting ritual to be suspended in 1942 and 1943. The tradition resumed after the war.