For that year’s celebration, an illuminated time ball was chosen as a suitable replacement by New York Times owner Adolph Ochs, according to the Times Square association. (The area was previously known as Longacre Square, before the Times moved in and lobbied to rename it.) A huge fireworks display was part of the festivities until 1907, when the practice was banned by the city. The first New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square was organized by The New York Times in 1904, to coincide with the official opening of the newspaper’s new headquarters. Perhaps not surprisingly, a time ball wasn’t the first choice. Still, this doesn’t quite explain why Times Square - a district not easily visible to passing ship captains - chose to drop a time ball instead of something a little more extravagant. in order to help nearby ship captains accurately set their marine chronometers, or inform locals of the time of day. These balls would be lowered at a precise time - usually 1 p.m. Some of the first “time balls,” as they’re known, were placed above buildings in England in the early half of the 19th Century.
But at the end of the day (or year, in this case), it’s still just a ball, isn’t it?Īs random as it might appear, this particular tradition traces its origins back hundreds of years. It’s covered in thousands of crystal panels, and illuminated by even more LED lights. (NEXSTAR) – Of all the ways we could be celebrating the coming New Year, a significant percentage of Americans will be looking to the sky over New York City - either in person, or via their TVs - to watch a great big ball descend from one seemingly arbitrary spot above Times Square to another seemingly arbitrary (albeit lower-altitude) spot above Times Square.
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