The Big Silver Ball

Tonight, families across the world will huddle together, either around their TV sets or in Times Square, to watch a big, bright, electric ball fall to the ground.  Lovers will kiss, children will grin, and babies who don't want to be awake will probably cry.  Toasts will be made with champagne and sparkling cider and New Year's Resolutions will be written in long lists, only to be forgotten once February rolls around.  The world will celebrate as it only does on New Years and we will look back at the year that we have just survived.   

But why a ball?  Why do we drop a large, electric, crystal ball from the top of a pole to the bottom each year?  I did alot of internet searching to answer this question.  Thanks to Wikipedia I found the answer. In the early 1900's, the New York Times paper moved into what was at the time called Long Grace square.  The newspaper company pursuaded the city to rename the square what it is now called today; Time's Square.  In order to celebrate the name change, the newspaper's owner, Adolf Ochs (now that's an interesting name) decided to hold a big fireworks display on New Year's eve.  These fireworks went off every year for four years until Adolf decided that fireworks weren't big enough.  So, he made a big wooden ball covered with lightbulbs and stuck it atop of a pole ontop of his Newspaper building.  The ball made its debut in 1907.  Originally, the ball dropped the second after the new year which I find interesting.  The New York Times eventually moved out of Time's Square, but the practice and the name of the square stuck.  We have had five more balls since that first ball.  The one that we have now is coated in waterhouse crystals. 

Every year, a special guest accompanied by the mayor, gets to press the button that will "drop the ball." It is a purely ceremonial event, however, because the pressing of the button does absolutely nothing.  The ball is timed to drop at a precise time with or without the button.  In the past, Muhammad Ali, Bill and Hillarly Clinton, and even specially chosen high school students have gotten a chance to push the button.  This year, after preforming live, Lady Gaga will get a chance to pok 'er face into the button  (sorry, I couldn't resist).  I'm thinking it's going to be a very interesting year.

This year, we have experienced earthquakes, weddings, celebrity divorces, and tragic deaths.  People have cried and people have laughed.  The kardashians have continued to gain popularity for reasons that I will never understand, a new reality show with Simon cowell has entered the TV world, Psych has continued for another season (yah!), and Apple has continued to dazzle us with new inventions.  We have seen shootings, new laws, and continued protests in Egypt.  The biggest surprise of all this year is that the world did not end.  Instead it still continues the way that it has for thousands of years.