In 1907, the first ball was "dropped" down a flagpole on top of 1 Times Square. It was made out of wood and iron and had 100 25-watt light bulbs. It was 5 feet across and weighed 700 pounds. Since then, the ball has been lowered every year, except 1942 and 1943 due to World War II. In 1920, the ball was replaced with one made of wrought iron that weighed 400 pounds. 20 years later, in 1940, that one was replaced with one made from aluminum and weighing 200 pounds. For the year 2000, the ball was completely redesigned by Waterford Crystal. The crystal ball was 6 feet across and weighed in at 1,070 pounds. The current ball was revealed on November 8, 2008. It is a 12 foot geodesic sphere and weighs 11,875 pounds. It is covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals and 32,265 Philips Luxeon Rebel LED lights.
***This information was gathered at the Times Square website. Please visit them for more information and pictures of the various balls that have descended over the years.***
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