Here are four New Year’s fast facts about the Times Square ball drop.
- The Times Square ball has been dropped every year since 1907, with two exceptions: In 1942 and 1943 when New York City was on a “dimout” during the war.
- The tradition of marking time with a ball-dropping started in 1833 in Greenwich, England. A ball would drop everyday at 1pm from the top of the Royal Observatory to coordinate time for sea captains.
- Since the start of the Times Square tradition, there have only been seven balls.
- The current crystal ball sits on top of Times Square all year and weighs a whopping 11,875 pounds.
Happy New Year!