Times Square hosted the first New Year’s Eve ball drop in 1907.
The event developed from celebrations organized by The New York Times after the newspaper moved its headquarters to the newly named Times Square. The first ball was lowered from a flagpole atop the Times building on December 31, 1907, to mark the arrival of 1908.
The ball-drop tradition continued for most subsequent years, with interruptions during World War II in 1942 and 1943. During those wartime celebrations, the public observed a moment of silence instead because nighttime light restrictions made the usual display inappropriate.
The object itself has changed repeatedly. Early versions were comparatively simple, while later balls became larger, more illuminated, and technologically elaborate. The Times Square event is therefore not the same thing as New York City’s entire New Year celebration: it is one highly visible ceremony within a much larger citywide night of gatherings and broadcasts.