NEW YORK (WCSC) — The first Times Square New Year’s celebration took place in 1904, launching a time-honored tradition that continues today.
At first, it was a publicity push for the new headquarters of the New York Times, where workers launched a pyrotechnic show from the building.
The fireworks were the big attraction for two more years until 1907 when the paper’s owner commissioned a lit-up iron and wood ball to drop with the countdown to New Year’s.
New York City’s Broadway looking north from Times Square, as thousand of revelers jammed the streets to usher in the New Year, Dec. 31, 1930. (AP Photo)(AP)
Since then, the ceremony has taken place every year except 1942 and 1943, when World War II prohibited excessive lighting in what they called “dimouts” to protect the city from a possible attack. Those years, recordings of bells followed a moment of silence.
The Times Square ball has evolved over the years, now about 12 feet in diameter, weighing nearly six tons, and covered in more than 32,000 LED lights.
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