Ball Drop In New York City Is Seen Around The World
Festivities Began More Than A Century Ago
No matter where you live, New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be the same without the ball drop in Times Square. Around the globe, New York City is synonymous with the start of the New Year. Thousands of people will converge on the city to mark the start of 2010.
The famous ball drop began at the end of 1907. Alfred Ochs, owner of The New York Times, introduced a massive, glowing ball on a pole to be lowered at the stroke of midnight. It made for vivid memories, such as this old photo. When transferring such vintage pictures, scanning them to digital format reflects how old and beloved some traditions are and how easy it is to preserve them with a service like ScanDigital.
Gathering in Times Square is a tradition that dates all the way back to 1904, when Ochs held a celebration to honor the paper’s new digs. (The city’s first subway line also debuted that year.) A reported 20,000 revelers joined the fun. Ochs started the ball drop because the city had banned his fireworks display. Artkraft Strauss operated the illuminated ball – which weighed hundreds of pounds – to make sure it dropped at the exact moment the year turned new.
The ball itself has varied over the years in weight and style. It has weighed 200 pounds and it has ballooned to nearly 12,000 pounds. It was first made of wood and iron, but last year featured more than 32,000 energy-efficient LED lights. In the years in between, it has dazzled with red lights, rhinestones and even strobes. At its largest, the ball’s diameter was 12 feet.
Millions of people cozy up in front of the television to witness the ball drop from home, but thousands still gather in person to watch it. For years, they have taken pictures; scanning those images to CD helps make the memories of past New Year’s celebrations worth reliving again.
Tags: New Year's Eve, pictures scanning