Times Square Will Drop the Ball on 2010

Did you ever wonder whose idea it was to drop a ball in Times Square to ring in the New Year? And, why do so many travel so far just to watch it fall?

Over one million people each year pack the streets and fill Times Square in New York City and stand beneath the falling Ball to celebrate the passage of another year. I never had the desire to go down to watch it in person because I worried about having to use a restroom and I know there are no portable toilets. Can you imagine trying to get to the restroom with a crowd that size? That worry won't deter folks from around the world who opt to journey to New York City days in advance just to vie for a good vantage point to watch the ceremonious event.

You don't have to travel to NYC because it doesn't matter where in the world you are on New Year's Eve. Chances are if you are close enough to a television set or a computer you will be able to tune in and watch the ball drop in Times Square. It is estimated that over one billion people watch the ceremony live each year. Thank goodness they don't all travel to NYC!

A bit about the famous Ball, it consists of over 32,000 light bulbs and 2600 Waterford Crystals. But, it wasn't always that big or that glamorous. According to the official Times Square District Management Association's website, the first ball was made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. It was considerably smaller in size at just 5 feet in diameter and weighing only 700 pounds as compared to the current weight of 12,000 pounds.

This tradition of the Time's Square ball drop began in 1904 and shares the debut with the opening of New York's first subway line. The dropping Ball has faithfully continued each New Year's Eve with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943 when the world was at War. During those years, crowds still gathered in the Square to stand in darkness and celebrate the New Year with a moment of silence followed up by the ringing of chimes.

I have begun to plan our 2010 New Year's Eve celebration. We will be inviting some friends for a quiet dinner and some board games. At about eleven o'clock or so, we will turn on the television and watch the crowds battle the cold, say goodbye to the old and ring in the new.

About "Time-Balls" can be found on the official http://www.timessquarenyc.orgTimes Square District Management Association, Inc.