Times Square Ball
From Open Encyclopedia
Each year on New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, a Ball made of crystal and electric lights and that looks like a gleaming moon, descends at 11:59pm from atop the One Times Square building, shaped like a geometric 'h,' to mark the coming of the New Year. It is an event that grabs the human mind and is watched by people around the world on television. The New York Mayor accompanied with Special Guests press the button to commence the Ball's 77 feet descent in just a minute with them all touching the moon-like ball, expressing their over the moon look. After the descent The New Year billboard lights up and the confetti on top of buildings gets released, commencing other entertaining events to the joys of people.
History
Time ball descending on New Year’s Eve is something borrowed from naval navigation and astronomy. In 1833 the first time ball was installed in England for synchronizing the chronometers used in navigating on seas and oceans.
- 1907 – The New Year’s Eve Ball first descended from a flagpole at One Times Square, constructed with iron and wood materials with 100 25-watt bulbs weighing 700 pounds and measuring 5 feet in diameter.
- 1920 – The Ball was replaced with an iron material Ball and weighing less than the original, only 400 pounds.
- 1942 -1943 – Due to World War II, the descending of the Ball was suspended.
- 1955 – The Ball gets replaced with a lighter Ball weighing 150 pounds.
- 1981 – 1988 – Due to I Love New York campaign, there are red light bulbs and green stem in a design of an apple.
- 1989 – The traditional white bulbs again get put on the Ball.
- 1995 – The Ball gets computerized, aluminium coated, rhinestoned, and has strobe light system.
- 1998 – The aluminium Ball gets replaced.
- 2000 onwards – The Ball gets an overhaul for the new millennium celebrations with a design from Waterford Crystal and new technology. It weighs 1070 pounds, measures six feet in diameter and installed with 504 crystal triangles, illuminated externally with 168 halogen light bulbs and internally with 432 light bulbs of clear, red, blue, green and yellow colors. Each year there is a theme in the Waterford crystal concept with a particular chunk of designed crystals being called something, and in previous years there have been for example “Hope for Fellowship,” “Hope for Wisdom,” “Hope for Unity,” “Hope for Courage,” “Hope for Healing,” “Hope for Abundance” etc. There are strobe lights and mirrors to create bursts of excitement and special effects for the audience.
