New Year’s in the City: A Quick History
Nowhere in the world is New Year’s Eve such as big as an event as it is here in New York City. With over a million people crammed into Times Square every New Year’s Eve and almost a billion people who watch it from home, ours it truly the biggest celebration of them all. No matter where you are in the world, it isn’t New Year’s until you have seen that large shiny ball drop. Being a staffing firm in New York City we here at ADAM Personnel thought you may enjoy a little bit of the history of our most famous annual party.
The Origin of the Time’s Square Ball
The first New Year’s celebration occurred on December 31st 1904 in celebration of the New York Times moving into their new location on Longacre Square, which of course was renamed to Times Square once the relocation was complete. For three years New Years was celebrated with a fireworks demonstration, but in 1907 fireworks were banned in the city and as a result the first New Year’s ball was constructed. It had over 200,000 in attendance and took place over the entirety of Dec. 31st. The ball weighed 700 pounds and consisted of 100 lights placed on a wood and iron frame.
The New York Tradition
Since the ball first dropped in 1907 it has continued to drop every year with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943, which was a result of power conservation efforts due to the war. In 1914 the New York Times moved locations again, but the New Year’s celebration stayed in the square regardless. As the years passed the Time’s Square Ball evolved from its wood and iron beginnings to an aluminum ball in 1955, eventually turning into the modern ball that we know today, which typically consists of LED lights and Waterford crystal. The two largest balls to date were the millennium ball which weighed 1070 pounds and the ball celebrating the centennial of this New York tradition, which weighed 1212 pounds. This year’s ball will come in at 11,875 pounds and consist of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles along with 672 LED modules to create a beautiful, multicolored globe.
Now that you know a little more about this celebration, where will you be when the ball drops this year? Do you have any fun resolutions for 2013? Please share them in the comments below.
Image By: caruba