With the New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square scheduled to drop in just a few hours, here are five interesting facts about the long-running iconic event in the Big Apple!
According to the Times Square website, the New Year’s Eve event began in 1904, but it was in 1907 that the ball made its inaugural descent from the flagpole above One Times Square. Since then, seven versions of the dance have been designed to mark the New Year.
“The first New Year’s Eve dance, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs,” the website reads. “[It] It was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. It was built by a young immigrant metallurgist named Jacob Starr, and for most of the 20th century the company he founded, sign maker Artkraft Strauss, was responsible for lowering the ball.
Another interesting fact is that the dance is lowered from the pole every year, except in 1942 and 1943. This is because the New Year’s ceremony was suspended. This is due to the “going out” of the lights in New York City during World War II.
The New Year’s Eve Ball was completely redesigned for Time Square 2000. The Crystal Ball included the latest lighting technology but had the most traditional materials. “Reminding ourselves of our past as we look to the future and the beginning of a new millennium,” the website continues.
The New Year’s Eve dance was redesigned with LED technology for its centenary
Since 2007, the New Year’s Eve dance has included new LED technology. This was for the centenary of the launch. It was highlighted that the incandescent and halogen bulbs of the previous design were replaced by state-of-the-art Philips Luxeon LED lighting. This noticeably increased the brightness and color capabilities.
The ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs approximately 11,875 pounds. It is covered by a total of 2,688 glass triangles. The triangles range in size from 4 ¾ inches to 5 ¾ inches.
“Each crystal triangle has a special sparkling pattern,” the Times Square website explains. “192 crystal triangles are Gift of Love’s design of interlocking overlapping hearts symbolizing love for family and friends.”
It is also said that around 150 public time balls have been installed around the world. The first ball was installed atop England’s Royal Observatory in Greenwich in 1933. It fell at one o’clock every afternoon.
The Ball will begin its descent at 11:59 p.m. local time.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn