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Jan 1, 2024 · The Times Square ball drop has been an annual event since December 31, 1907, and is one of the world’s most famous New Year’s Eve traditions. But did you know that this celebration has its origins right here in Lower Manhattan?
Dec 30, 2023 · When was the first ball drop in Times Square? The Times Square ball first dropped in 1904, and it came into being thanks to Jacob Starr, a Ukranian immigrant and metalworker, and the former New...
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- Mallory Moench
- The concept began with sailing. Starting in the 1800s, balls dropped from poles were used to signify the time to sailors out at sea. The first was installed in Portsmouth, England, followed by another ball in Greenwich, the namesake of Greenwich Mean Time, and that timekeeping ball is still dropped every day.
- The Times Square tradition started because of a fireworks ban. The New York Times started the modern-day tradition of dropping a ball on a pole to mark the beginning of the new year, the official Times Square website said.
- The tradition took a two-year break. The ball went out of commission for two years, in 1942 and 1943, during World War II, Times Square’s website said. Crowds still gathered for a minute of silence followed by chimes ringing from trucks parked at the Times Tower.
- The ball weighs more than a car. The modern day ball stretches 12 ft. (three and a half meters) in diameter and weighs 11,875 lbs (5,386 kg). That’s between two to three times as much as the average weight of a car in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dec 27, 2023 · The first Times Square ball drop took place in 1907, according to the website, but Times Square had become the focal point of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations starting in 1904....
Dec 10, 2019 · The tradition of the ball dropping from 1 Times Square goes all the way back to December of 1907. People began gathering to celebrate the New Year in Times Square, sans ball, a few years before that; in 1907, they witnessed an illuminated wood-and-iron ball descending a flagpole to herald the arrival of the new year.
The Times Square Ball is a time ball located in New York City's Times Square.Located on the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the ball drop, where the ball descends down a specially designed flagpole, beginning at 11:59:00 p.m. ET, and resting at midnight to signal the start of the new year.
Dec 28, 2022 · The celebration will begin shortly before 6 p.m. Around that time, the ball will be placed atop the pole at One Times Square. The ball drop, which will take 60 seconds, will begin at...
