Which U.S. city hosted the first New Year's Eve ball drop in 1907?

New York City hosted the first New Year's Eve ball drop in 1907.

The inaugural descent took place in Times Square on December 31, 1907, at the building then known as the New York Times Building, now One Times Square. The event was organized after the city stopped allowing the newspaper's earlier fireworks display atop the building. A lighted ball offered a safer, repeatable way to signal midnight.

The original ball weighed about 700 pounds and was made from iron and wood. It was roughly five feet in diameter and carried 100 incandescent bulbs. The design was influenced by time balls used at ports and observatories to help ships and communities coordinate clocks.

The ball drop did not happen in 1942 or 1943 because wartime blackout rules prevented the usual illuminated celebration. A moment of silence replaced the public lighting, though crowds still gathered in Times Square.