Why do we drop a ball to mark the New Year in Times Square?
In short: The tradition of dropping a ball on New Year's Eve dates back to 1907. This video explores the origins of this iconic event and the history of the location, which was renamed Times Square after Adolph Ochs moved the New York Times headquarters there.
The practice of dropping a ball to signal the passage of time has a history that predates the 1907 New Year's celebration. While the specific New Year's tradition began in the early 20th century, the concept of using a ball to designate time is much older.
The setting for this event, Times Square, was originally known as Longacre Square. Its transformation occurred after Adolph Ochs, who purchased the New York Times in 1896, relocated the newspaper's staff to a new building in the heart of Manhattan. Ochs had previously increased the paper's readership by lowering the daily price to one cent and establishing the New York Times Company to secure its financial future.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Why We ‘Drop’ the Ball on New Years
- Also: Why Do We Drop a Ball on New Year’s Eve? | Britannica
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