Скачать или смотреть THE TIMES SQUARE NEW YEAR'S EVE: THE FIRST BALL DROP 🎆

❓ "Why does a ball dropping signify a new year?" It seems like a strange choice until you realize that before GPS and digital clocks, the world ran on Visual Time. In the 1800s, "time balls" were installed in major ports (like Greenwich, England). At a specific hour, the ball would drop, allowing sea captains to calibrate their ship's clocks with total precision.

When NYC officials banned the traditional midnight fireworks at the New York Times building, Ochs didn't just want a replacement; he wanted a "maritime-grade" precision event that would cement Times Square as the center of the world.

The First Ball: Built by Jacob Starr of the sign company Artkraft Strauss, the original ball was a beast of iron and wood. It was lit by only 100 twenty-five-watt white bulbs.

The "Lobster Palaces": Before the era of fast food, Times Square was lined with "Lobster Palaces" - extravagant restaurants where NYC's elite gathered. At the stroke of midnight in 1907, as the ball hit the roof, waiters in these palaces flipped switches on their own hats, illuminating the number "1908" in tiny lightbulbs.

A Century of Evolution: Since that first 700-pound iron ball, there have been seven different versions of the Times Square Ball. It has been made of iron, aluminum (starting in 1955), and even featured a "Big Apple" makeover in the 1980s. Today, it is a 12-foot geodesic sphere covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and lit by over 32,000 LEDs.

Interestingly, the ball has dropped every year since 1907, with only two exceptions: 1942 and 1943. During those years, the ceremony was suspended due to the wartime "dim-out" (blackout) of New York City to protect against potential U-boat attacks. Even then, the crowds still gathered in silence, marking the New Year with a minute of prayer followed by the sound of chimes. Subscribe to see the historical stories they didn't teach you in school.