It’s ten seconds to midnight in New York City and all eyes are on Times Square. And I mean all eyes. The entire World is staring at whichever screen they have closest to them, counting down to the famous time ball drop. What a beautiful tradition that’s been going on for a couple of years you may think. Well, think again because New Year’s in NYC has been going for what it seems forever. This is the place to be and it always has been. Here are some pictures to prove it.
December 31, 1906 | New York City. | (Library of Congress)
Times Square traces its name to when the New York Times headquarters moved into 7th and Broadway back in 1904 (where they settled for several decades). But the first time ball drop was on December 31st, 1907, for which Adolph Ochs commissioned the sign maker Artkraft Strauss to build —then lower— a wood-and-iron ball of five feet in diameter. So, do the math; this tradition is over a hundred years old now.
Let’s go back a few years before 1907, when people from New York used to gather at Trinity Church to hear the chimes at midnight that marked the passing from the old to the new.
NYPL
Fireworks were eventually banned, however, Adolph Ochs (owner of the New York Times back then) made sure to make up for it by lighting his time ball with 100 25-watt bulbs.
Times Square after the cleanup on Jan. 1, 1952.CreditGeorge Alexanderson/The New York Times Since then, a time ball has always been dropped at Times Square, an intersection that has a history of its own, with ups and downs, sketchy reputation, and now a gathering place for millions of tourists each other.
Dec. 31, 1937.CreditWorld Wide Photos
Even the 1930s were fun.
January 1, 1938 | New York City | (Bettmann/CORBIS)
There were only two occasions in which New York skipped the ball drop: 1942 and 1943, years in which the United States entered World War II. Yet, half a million people showed up disregarding the lack of light bulbs on the ball. So, since it wasn’t necessarily a time of joy, rather than a ball, New Yorkers spent the turn of the year with a moment of silence and Trinity Church bells ringing from afar, while they welcomed a time for hope and a better world.
December 31, 1940 | Broadway, New York City | (Bettmann/CORBIS)
Two years later the US had won the war, Hitler had shot himself, Mussolini had been hanged, and it was business as usual at Times Square.
http://timessquareball.net/history/
Seven versions of the Ball have been designed to signal the New Year.
AP
Nowadays, the ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter, and weighs 11,875 pounds. It’s covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles which are themselves illuminated by 32,256 LEDs. So just imagine 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns that create a spectacular psychedelic kaleidoscopic effect atop One Times Square, while millions of people shout at unison 10..9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2..1. Happy New Year, Big Apple. Happy New Year, World. The Times Ball is dropped!
December 31, 1947 | The Palm Beach Club, New York City. | (Bettmann/CORBIS)
Cover picture by Roger W. Strong
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