It started simply with one match lighting a fuse on a rooftop 120 years ago.

In 1904, the New York Times newspaper was eager to move into its new headquarters, the Times Tower, a 25-story building at the corner between the avenues of Seventh and Broadway. On December 31, just before midnight, the fireworks burst off the roof to commemorate the building’s completion. These beams of light soared nearly 1,000 feet into the midnight sky, illumination four large numbers on the rooftop, ‘1-9-0-5’. New Yorkers stood amazed at the sight igniting a tradition we still enjoy today.

Gathering in Times Square became a ritual amongst New Yorkers. In 1907, an even grander celebration was constructed, inspired by “time balls,” a time measurement commonly used amongst sailors since the early 19^th century. A sphere large enough to be visible off the coast was mounted to a shaft and descended at predetermined times, allowing sailors to synchronize their navigational tools.

The ball-drop concept carried over from the ship to the Square. Jacob Starr, a Ukrainian immigrant and metal worker, designed the first ball, a five-foot, 700-pound iron and wood sphere adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. Six of Starr’s workers used ropes to hoist the sphere onto a 70-foot flag pole on top of the Times Tower. His men manually lowered the sphere 10 seconds to midnight, earning cheers of amazement from crowds of New Yorkers.

The event captured the public’s fascination, and the ball has dropped each year since then, except for 1942 and 1943 during World War II.

The ball has been redesigned several times. In 1955 the iron sphere was replaced with a lighter aluminum structure weighing only 150 pounds, and a couple other changes were added in the 1980s.

The current ball is 12 feet in diameter, weighing 11,875 pounds and made of Waterford Crystal faceted triangles illuminated by over 32,000 LEDs capable of multiple colors, brightness and motion. A pulley system lowering the sphere is monitored from a control room in the Times Tower.

Even though the New York Times has long since moved into new buildings, the rooftop of One Times Square continues to set the stage for the anticipated celebrations.

[From The AMAC Magazine, Dec 2024, edited for space]