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10 secrets of a crystal ball in Times Square

'25.12.2019'

Source: untappedcities.com

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The Crystal Ball Fall Ceremony in Times Square is held annually. Someone comes here to see everything with their own eyes, others follow the event on TV. Despite the popularity of the action, not everyone knows the secrets of this tradition. Edition Untapped New York Revealed 10 facts about this.

Фото: Depositphotos

A bright “crystal” ball descends along the flagpole installed in Times Square in New York, at the last second of the old year. This moment broadcasts many television channels in the world. For Americans, it symbolizes the beginning of the New Year. True, not everyone knows where this tradition came from, as well as other secrets related to this ball.

  1. Once New Year was celebrated not at Times Square.

Before New Yorkers began gathering for New Year's Eve in Times Square, they celebrated the day near Trinity Church. In those days, on New Year's Eve, it was very noisy and crowded. The church, located in lower Manhattan, has a tall, narrow spire that makes the sound of bells come out, not stay inside. Therefore, at midnight, bells rang here, marking the arrival of the new year.

Фото: Depositphotos

In The Isle of Wickedness, The Search for Theodore Roosevelt to Cleanse New York from the Love of Sins, Richard Sachs describes in detail the feast that dates back to 1896. He writes: "The people were waiting for the famous church bells to ring in the New Year, starting at 11:30 pm and ending at midnight."

Various goods were also traded here; teenagers staged petty pranks; people drank freely while strolling here, since public drinking was then legal.

  1. The owner of the first ball in Times Square The New Y Times.

You may be surprised to learn that it was the owner of The New York Times, Adolf Oaks, who became the founder of the New Year tradition of throwing a crystal ball in Times Square. In 1903, the publication moved to One Times Square. Oaks later persuaded the mayor to rename the square around the building in Times Square (formerly Longaker Square).

The New York Times held a New Year event on December 31, 1903, to promote the new headquarters. They launched a firework directly from the roof of the building at midnight. The newspaper continued to do this until 1907, when the city banned fireworks.

Photos: YouTube

However, Oaks wanted to have a celebration in Times Square that would draw people's attention in the same way as fireworks. At the suggestion of the newspaper’s chief electrician, Walter Payner, a 317-pound ball of time with lights was used to attract the attention of the crowd. This idea came to him after he saw a ball on top of a nearby Western Union building.

Although the Times newspaper left the building about 10 years later, the tradition of throwing a crystal ball has been preserved.

  1. Once upon a time, the coming of the New Year marked the "lighting of hats."

As part of the celebration of 1907-1908, waiters at luxury eateries in hotels around Times Square wore hats decorated with 1908 numbers, made in the form of tiny incandescent lamps. At midnight, they all simultaneously triggered the mechanism and these numbers lit up - exactly at the moment when the same inscription appeared on the Times Square building.

  1. Due to the war on New Year's Eve, the ceremony was suspended for several years.

1942 and 1943 were the only ones when the crystal ball was not thrown. During these years, the celebration of the New Year was suspended as part of the military "dimming" of lights in New York. This was done in order to protect the city from the bombing.

So, in 1942, the army stated that the glow emanating from New York illuminates the silhouettes of sea ships, making them an easy target. Therefore, it was ordered to turn off advertising signs in Times Square.

However, crowds of people were still gathering in Times Square to celebrate New Year together.

  1. At first, the ball was not so festive and beautiful.

The idea to make the ball festive came from the same electrician from The New York Times, which we mentioned earlier. It was born when he saw a metal clock on top of a nearby Western Union building.

Unlike a ball in Times Square, it had no “holiday intentions." It was dumped every day at noon, so that pedestrians and ship captains could synchronize their watches.

On the subject: Why does a crystal ball fall in Times Square New Year?

In fact, the whole concept of the “ball of time” dates back to 1833, when the first ball was built on top of the Royal Royal Observatory. The ball fell every hour during the day, allowing the captains of nearby ships to accurately set their timepieces. It is believed that after this installation around 150 public chronometer balls were installed around the world (although most of them were not preserved).

  1. Times Square's first New Year ball weighed 17 times less than the current one.

The ball in Times Square has come a long way since its debut in 1907. The original ball weighed only 317 kilograms, had a diameter of 1,5 meters and was covered with hundreds of 25-watt light bulbs. The one that is used today weighs almost 5400 kg, has a diameter of almost 4 meters and is covered with 2688 crystals.

  1. The Christmas ball is launched using an atomic clock from Colorado.

The crystal ball in Times Square was initially lowered manually (the very first was lowered by a team of six with ropes).

Today, the fall of the ball is synchronized with the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado. This watch is the primary time standard for the United States.

  1. Confetti on New Years Eve contains wishes written by visitors.
Фото: Depositphotos

Confetti falling from the sky after midnight on New Year's Eve is not just ordinary confetti. On these colorful shreds are written wishes for the coming year from visitors from all over the world. People can write these wishes either through The virtual wall of New Year's wishes in Times Squareor in person at the Times Square Visitor Center.

  1. Times Square crystal ball inspired similar Christmas balls across the country.

Unsurprisingly, the Times Square ball drop set a precedent for other versions of Christmas balls falling across the country. However, what is surprising is the quirkiness of some of them - for example, there are balls in the form of a ship weighing 272 kg, such as dropped in Port Clinton, or in the form of a cherry blossom, as in Georgia, or in the form of potatoes, which can be contemplated in Boise. , Idaho.

  1. Times Square has a secret storehouse with old New Year's toys and an old ball.

Once, an article was published in The New York Times stating that at a depth of 15 meters under One Times Square is a storehouse that has been an electric room since the 1960s.

Inside the dusty vault is a 2000 Millennium Ball, as well as other New Year's gizmos such as a shelf of 1976 Silly Hats and 1997 T-shirts.

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