The Evolution of the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop
The iconic Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop has captivated spectators for over a century, symbolizing the passage of time and the start of new beginnings in a mesmerizing display of lights and excitement
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The Times Square ball drop has been a New York tradition for over 100 years
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For over a century, people have gathered in Times Square to celebrate New Year's Eve, making it a tradition to come together amidst the bright lights and chaos of midtown to welcome new beginnings. At 11:59 p.m., a spectacular ball drops down a pole as revelers and millions watching from home count down from 60. When the clock strikes midnight, the crowd bursts into a symphony of noise, often sharing a ceremonial kiss with their loved ones.
But what is the origin of this New Year's Eve tradition, and why do we mark the occasion with the iconic ball drop?
New Year's Eve revelers in Times Square in 1938.
-/AFP/Getty Images
When was the first ball drop in Times Square?
The first drop of the Times Square ball was in 1904, made possible by Jacob Starr, an immigrant from Ukraine and a metalworker, and Adolph Ochs, the former publisher of the New York Times. Ochs had previously attracted crowds to the newspaper's skyscraper in Times Square with fireworks, but explosives were banned by city officials after a few years. Ochs then hired Starr, who worked for the sign-making company Strauss Signs (later known as Artkraft Strauss), to create a new visual display.
Over the past century, that display, and symbol of the New Year has evolved from a iron and wood cage adorned with light bulbs to a dazzling technicolor crystal sphere.
The Times Square Ball has had seven different designs.
RW/MediaPunch/IPx/AP
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Both Ochs and the New York Times chief electrician, Walter Palmer, have been credited with the idea, allegedly inspired by the downtown Western Union Building, which dropped a time ball each day at noon. But Starrs granddaughter Tama, who joined Artkraft Strauss in 1982 and now owns the business, said in a phone interview that she believes it was her grandfather who came up with the concept of the ball being lowered and lit up with the new year numerals at midnight.
One design of the New Year's Ball was an aluminum cage outfitted with lightbulbs.
David Handschuh/AP
During Mayor Ed Koch's administration, the ball changed to an apple as part of the "I Love New York" campaign.
Lederhandler/AP
Tama, who was the foreperson at the Times Square ball drop for many years, explained, "The concept was to illuminate it using the brand-new electricity that had just arrived in the neighborhood. It was lowered by hand, beginning at one minute to midnight, and that was the tradition for many years."
"It was a modernization of a traditional item," she remarked. "It quickly gained popularity. People were simply enamored with it."
While some parts of Manhattan had been lit by electricity since the 1880s, the US National Park Service (NPS) points out that half of American households still relied on gas lights and candles until the 1920s. The image of a sparkling ball descending from the night sky would have appeared truly magical.
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Artkraft Strauss, a sign company founded by Jacob Starr, was responsible for the ball design and its drop for nearly a century.
The ball would reach the parapet where a sign with the year displayed, and the electrician would then switch off the ball and turn on the numbers simultaneously," Tama explained. "This made it appear as though the ball transformed into the set of numbers as it descended."
Everyone in Times Square participated in the theatrics. During the first year, waiters in nearby restaurants and hotels wore battery-powered top hats with "1908" that they lit up at midnight. Tama said, "It appeared magical to onlookers."
A minute outside of time
There have been a total of seven Times Square balls used for the iconic New Year's Eve descent. The first one was a 700-pound iron structure with 25-watt light bulbs, followed by a lighter aluminum frame post-World War II, and then a "Big Apple" design introduced during former mayor Ed Koch's administration.
In 1995, the ball received a glamorous update with rhinestones, strobe lights, and computer controls, rendering traditional signmakers obsolete and ultimately leading to the discontinuation of Artkraft Strauss, the company responsible for the Times Square ball. Today's ball is the result of a collaboration between Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting, utilizing 32,256 LEDs that can be programmed to showcase millions of colors and patterns on its surface.
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For the millennium, the Times Square ball got a new look, with a crystal design from Waterford Crystal and lighting from Philips.
Kathy Willens/AP
Nonetheless, Tama remembers her years as the timekeeper on the roof of One Times Square fondly.
When the last minute of the year arrived, workers lowered the ball down using a complex pulley system.
Year after year, Tama performs this ritual and sees a deep connection between the countdown, which she refers to as "a minute outside of time," and the tradition of making New Year's resolutions.
"When you're fully focused, time seems to stretch," she explained. "It felt like the longest minute ever. It felt like you had the time to do anything, like wash your hair, call your mother, or change your life. You truly have the power to change your life in just one minute - you can choose to be different, to be kinder, and to be better."
