The epic tradition was first held on December 31, 1907, when the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square. Since then, every year the ball drop has been held.
In 1942 and 1943, in observance of wartime blackouts, when due to the "dim out" of lights in New York City, the ceremony was suspended.
The first New Year's Eve Ball, was made of iron and wood and was adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. It was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds (317.51 kg). In 1920, a 400 pound (181.44 kg) ball made entirely of wrought iron replaced the original. Subsequently, in 1999, a crystal ball was installed. This year's ball is covered with a total of 2,688 crystal triangles.
As per the Times Square official website, the tradition of a ball "dropping" to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833 was dropped at one o'clock every afternoon, to allow the captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers.
The New Year celebration at the Times Square was a popular tradition that was almost foiled by a firecracker ban in 1907. To keep the tradition alive, Adolph Ochs, the owner of The New York Times commissioned Ukrainian immigrant and metalworker Jacob Starr to create an illuminated iron and wood ball.
At midnight, more than 1,000 kilos of confetti are dropped from the rooftops of buildings over Times Square by hundreds of volunteers. These confetti contain wishes, anyone can add their wishes to this by putting it on a "wishing wall" before Dec 25 or by submitting a wish online till Dec 28.
As per Time.com, to ensure their prime viewing spot, some people reportedly wear adult diapers.
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