Which U.S. city first used a ball drop to mark New Year's Eve in 1907?

New York City first used a ball drop to mark New Year's Eve in 1907.

The first Times Square ball descended on December 31, 1907, welcoming 1908. The celebration was created for the headquarters of The New York Times, which had recently moved to the area then known as Longacre Square. The newspaper's publisher, Adolph Ochs, wanted a dramatic event to attract attention to the new building.

The original ball was made of iron and wood, measured about five feet in diameter, and was illuminated by electric bulbs. It replaced fireworks after the city restricted their use in the area. The basic countdown format has survived even as the ball and the surrounding technology have changed.

There were interruptions during World War II, when public celebrations observed wartime lighting restrictions in 1942 and 1943. The ball drop is therefore a long-running tradition, but not an uninterrupted annual spectacle.