How New Year’s Eve at Times Square has changed over 120 years

[Kennedy Felton]

A COUNTDOWN BEFORE THE OFFICIAL COUNTDOWN. THIS WAS A PREVIEW OF THE THREE-THOUSAND POUNDS OF CONFETTI EXPECTED TO BE DROPPED ON TIMES SQUARE ON TUESDAY NIGHT.  

THAT’S WHEN AN ESTIMATED ONE MILLION PEOPLE WILL PACK THE STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY TO RING IN 20-25 AS A BILLION MORE WATCH FROM THEIR HOMES ACROSS THE WORLD.

ALONG WITH THE TONS OF CONFETTI – THE BIG DRAW ON NEW YEAR’S EVE IS  – OF COURSE – THE TIMES SQUARE BALL.

THIS YEAR’S BALL WAS UNVEILED LAST FRIDAY —  WITH THE HELP OF RAPPER PITBULL. IT WEIGHS 11 THOUSAND 8 HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE POUNDS (11,875) AND IS COVERED IN 2 THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHTY EIGHT (2,688) CRYSTAL TRIANGLES  — ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THIS YEAR’S CELEBRATION.

BUT DROPPING THE TIMES SQUARE BALL WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL WAY REVELERS RANG IN THE YEAR AT THE BIG APPLE’S FAMOUS INTERSECTION.

IN DECEMBER 1904 – THE NEW YORK TIMES WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO CELEBRATE ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS – THE TIMES TOWER AT BROADWAY AND SEVENTH AVENUE. ITS OWNER —  ADOLPH S. OCHS (AW-KS) – DECIDED TO THROW A CELEBRATION ON NEW YEAR’S EVE AT LONG ACRE SQUARE – WHICH — THANKS TO A RESOLUTION BY THEN MAYOR GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN HAD RECENTLY BEEN RENAMED IN THE NEWSPAPER’S HONOR TO — TIMES SQUARE.

THE INAUGURAL NEW YEAR’S EVE FESTIVITIES DID NOT HAVE A BALL – BUT FIREWORKS – AND DYNAMITE.

ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES ACCOUNT OF THE EVENT – THE TOWER APPEARED TO CATCH FIRE AS THE 200 THOUSAND SPECTATORS LOOKED ON — BUT IT WAS ALL PART OF THE SHOW — OCHS’ PLANS TO PUT HIS NEW HEADQUARTERS FRONT AND CENTER.

THE PYRO DISPLAY WAS PRODUCED THAT NIGHT BY CHEMIST HENRY J. PAIN – WHO HAD WORKED ON THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION OF WILLIAM MCKINLEY.

FIREWORKS WOULD ALSO HELP USHER IN THE NEXT TWO NEW YEARS  – BUT BY NEW YEAR’S EVE OF 1907 – FIREWORKS WERE BANNED AND A NEW TRADITION WAS BORN.

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPLACED EXPLOSIVES WITH A BALL – A TAKE ON “TIME-BALLS” FROM THE 1830S THAT HELP SIGNAL THE PASSAGE OF TIME.

ACCORDING TO THE TIMES SQUARE ASSOCIATION – THE FIRST “TIME-BALL” WAS INSTALLED ATOP ENGLAND’S ROYAL OBSERVATORY AT GREENWICH IN 1833. THE BALL WOULD DROP AT ONE O’CLOCK EVERY AFTERNOON, ALLOWING NEARBY CAPTAINS TO PRECISELY SET THEIR SHIP’S NAVIGATIONAL SEA CLOCKS.

SO AS 1907 TURNED INTO 1908 —  A 700-POUND, ELECTRIFIED BALL WAS LOWERED FROM THE TOP OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BUILDING – AS WAITERS AROUND TIMES SQUARE WORE BATTERY-POWERED HATS THAT LIT UP TO SHOW THE YEAR AT MIDNIGHT.

THE FIRST NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL WAS MADE OF IRON AND WOOD – DECORATED WITH 100 25-WATT LIGHT BULBS.

THE BALL WOULD SEE MANY CHANGES OVER THE YEARS – SEVEN VERSIONS OVERALL.

IN 1920 – IT BECAME A 400-POUND BALL MADE OF WROUGHT IRON; IN 1955 – THAT WAS REPLACED BY A 155-POUND ALUMINUM BALL; FOR A FEW YEARS IN THE 1980S – THE BALL WAS TRANSFORMED INTO AN APPLE FOR THE “I LOVE NEW YORK” MARKETING CAMPAIGN; FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM – A NEW CRYSTAL BALL WAS DROPPED; 2007 SAW THE BALL ADD L-E-D LIGHTS; AND SINCE RINGING IN 2009 – IT’S BEEN THE SIX TON GEODESIC  SPHERE WITH WATERFORD CRYSTALS.

THE NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION AT TIMES SQUARE HAS SEEN A BALL DROP EVERY YEAR SINCE RINGING IN 1908 – EXCEPT FOR TWO YEARS – 1942 AND 1943 – DUE TO THE “DIMOUT” OF LIGHTS IN NEW YORK CITY DURING WORLD WAR 2.

WHILE THE BALL HAS CHANGED — THE LOCATION HASN’T. IT’S STILL BEING DROPPED THIS YEAR FROM THAT SAME BUILDING – ONCE CALLED THE NEW YORK TIMES HEADQUARTERS — TODAY KNOWN AS ONE TIMES SQUARE.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M KENNEDY FELTON.

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