When was the first Times Square ball drop?

New Year's Eve in Times Square feels like it's been around forever. The massive crowds, the anticipation, and that iconic glittering ball slowly descending as everyone counts down to midnight. But this beloved tradition started because fireworks were banned. When did that first ball make its celebrated descent?

Reveal answer and learn more:

▼

The answer is: 1907

The Times Square ball drop premiered on December 31, 1907, thanks to The New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs. He wanted something spectacular to celebrate his newspaper's new headquarters at One Times Square and while fireworks might've worked for a few years, they were banned for safety concerns.

Ochs turned to the paper's electrician, Walter Palmer, and he took inspiration from the maritime tradition of dropping "time balls" at ports so ships could synchronize their chronometers. Palmer created a 700-pound iron and wood ball covered in 100 25-watt light bulbs.

The first ball drop was purely practical. Workers used a simple rope and pulley system to lower the ball. But people loved it. The illuminated sphere became an instant hit and drew thousands.

That original ball kept dropping until 1920. Over the decades, six different balls have taken center stage. The current ball is a 12-foot geodesic sphere weighing 11,875 pounds, covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and powered by 32,256 LEDs. But the basic idea remains unchanged from Palmer's original design: a glowing ball, a rope, and a crowd counting down to midnight.