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The first rooftop celebration atop One Times Square — a fireworks display — took place in 1904 and was produced by The New York Times to inaugurate their new headquarters in Times Square. But the first New Year’s Eve Ball lowering celebration atop One Times Square occurred a few years later in 1907.
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Since 1907, seven versions of the Ball have been designed to signal the New Year.
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The first Ball was made of iron and wood, weighed 700 pounds, and had 100 light bulbs. Today, the Ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds.
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From 1942 to 1943, the annual ceremony was suspended due to wartime “dimout” of lights in New York City. Crowds still gathered and had a minute of silence at midnight, followed by chimes ringing out from sound trucks in Times Square.
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For the 2021 celebration, the Ball had 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles that vary in size and range in length from 4 ¾ inches to 5 ¾ inches per side.
