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<\/p>\nFor millions of people, the year 2026 will begin once a crystal-covered ball, 12.5 feet in diameter, makes its descent in New York City’s Times Square.<\/p>\n
New York Times owner Adolph Ochs organized the first New York City ball drop, which occurred on December 31, 1907.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The New York Times’ report of the revelry in Times Square as the city welcomed in 1908.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The New York Times<\/p>\n
The original ball was made by Jacob Starr, a Ukrainian immigrant metalworker.<\/p>\n
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A replica of the original New Year’s Eve Ball.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBS News<\/p>\n
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Crowds gathered in Times Square on Dec. 31, 1941, to welcome in the New Year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
The event has taken place every year since, except in 1942 and 1943, when revelers welcomed the New Year with a minute of silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The Ball Drop is tested on Dec. 30, 2011, in anticipation of the festivities to herald the arrival of 2012.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John Lamparski\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
During the COVID pandemic in 2020, the New Year’s ball still dropped, but in a nearly-empty Times Square.<\/p>\n
The brand new ball \u2013 the ninth ball to be used since 1907 \u2013 is the biggest ever, weighing in at 12,350 pounds.<\/p>\n
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The New Year’s Eve Ball Drop in Times Square will feature the largest ball ever, weighing 12,350 pounds, and made up from more than 5,000 handcrafted circular Waterford Crystal discs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBS News<\/p>\n
Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown, the company that is redeveloping One Times Square into a year-round destination, gave “Sunday Morning” a close-up look at the ball, covered in over 5,000 handcrafted circular Waterford Crystal discs. “They’re in three different sizes, three different puck sizes, and round versus triangular, which was the old geometric dome pattern,” Phillips said.<\/p>\n
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More than five thousand handcrafted Waterford Crystal discs cover the Constellation Ball, the ninth version of the ball dropped at Times Square on New Year’s Eve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBS News<\/p>\n
It’s a self-contained light show with many special effects.<\/p>\n
I asked, “Why do you think the ball drop means so much to so many people?”<\/p>\n
“It’s something that symbolizes releasing what was, and looking forward at what’s to come,” Phillips replied. <\/p>\n
And there is more to come: After it completes its New Year’s Eve descent welcoming 2026, the ball will drop AGAIN<\/a>, on the eve of July 4, to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0
For more info:<\/p>\n
Story produced by Jay Kernis. Editor: George Pozderec.\u00a0<\/p>\n
See also:\u00a0<\/p>\n