What is the significance of the ball dropping on new years

Still, by the late 19th century, the impractical devices were mostly on their way out, or at least reduced to a more decorative or symbolic role.

Above all else came the wild human hullabaloo of noise. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia. Engraving taken from the Illustrated London News. A master clock, verified each day by stellar observation, sent electric impulses to clocks throughout the country via the growing network of telegraph wires providing for public and railway use.

By Olivia B. Related Stories. The aluminum ball was used until , when it was given a makeover with red light bulbs and a green stem to represent the apple of the "I Love New York" campaign. This was used through when the red bulbs were swapped for white. In , rhinestones and computer-controlled strobe lights were added to the ball. The ball was created by Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting and was decorated with real crystals and computerized lights.

Seven years later in , the companies redesigned the ball again in celebration of the th year of the Times Square tradition. The ball measures six feet across and weighs more than 11, pounds.

The computerized lighting technology can display more than 16, colors and patterns, which is why the ball has a different display each year. For the first time since , crowds won't be gathering in Times Square to celebrate New Year's Eve but the ball will still be dropping.

The celebration will be totally virtual this year, so you can tune in to the live broadcast to watch it from the comfort and safety of your own home. At p. At the stroke of midnight, the crowd erupts into a cacophony of sound, often pulling their loved one in for a ceremonial kiss.

New Year's Eve has its own set of rituals: the ball drop, resolutions and sealing the new year with a kiss. This year, however, the Times Square ball will drop to empty streets. Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, no one will be allowed to gather in person, but there will be a virtual event for those wanting to watch it from home.

The Times Square Ball has had seven different designs. This will mark the first year since that crowds will be prohibited from flocking to Times Square. Though the ball drop was canceled for two years during World War II, people still came to observe the tradition and hold a minute of silence. Over the past century, the symbol of the New Year -- the luminous ball -- has evolved from a iron and wood cage adorned with light bulbs to a dazzling technicolor crystal object.

But how did this New Year's Eve celebration start, and why do we commemorate the occasion by watching a ball descend down a pole? Nautical inspiration. The latter had successfully drawn crowds to the newspaper's new skyscraper home in Times Square through pyrotechnics and fireworks to celebrate the forthcoming year, but city officials banned explosives from being used after just a few years. In , Ochs commissioned Starr, who worked for sign-making firm Strauss Signs later known as Artkraft Strauss, which Starr served as president , to create a new visual display.

Crowds gather in Times Square to on December 31,