America loves balls: footballs, baseballs, basketballs, bouncy balls, meatballs, or even, snowballs.
So maybe it’s no surprise that one of our country’s most celebrated New Year’s Eve customs is dropping a giant, glittering ball from a 141 foot pole. The 60 second drop, beginning at 11:59 ET, ushers in the changing date. Like every other American, I’ve watched the New York City ball drop more times than I can count. It’s simply tradition. But I’ve never liked tradition simply for tradition’s sake. So, I decided to find the reason behind this particular one--if there is a reason at all.
I soon found out America is far from the first country to have a “time-ball.” The first one was installed in 1833 atop England’s Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The ball dropped at one every afternoon to help nearby ship captains set their chronometers, a vital navigational instrument. The balls served their purpose well, and other countries quickly followed suit. Around 150 time-balls are installed around the world today, though few of them still work.
At least these ball drops had a logical purpose. But does ours?
The first ball drop in Times Square was in 1907. Alfred Ochs, owner of the New York Times, initially commissioned the creation of the ball and organized the event when the paper moved its headquarters to the One Times Square. He wanted to bring attention to the Times' new location and hoped the spectacle would gain the paper subscriptions. The ball has been dropped from this building every year since then except for 1942 and 1943 to honor World War II blackouts. In other words, the New York City ball drop is the most successful commercial of all time. It's probably the only commercial in history that keeps being repeated, even though people no longer know what's being advertised.
So, the final answer: our beloved New Year's ball drop is just a spectacle. There isn’t a particular reason behind it, other than the fact that it’s been done for years--and Alfred Ochs wanted to make more money over a century ago. Millions watched the ball drop this year. If you were among them, now you know what the purpose behind it is: there isn’t one.
