[The Himalayan Voice wishes a very happy New Year 2011 to all its friends, contributers, well-wishers, readers and everyone as well. May the new year bring security, peace and prosperity in the world. Below posted is an article courtesy from The Huffington Post. - Editor]
By Kate Kelly
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| Image Credit: Patch |
The Party Tradition Begins
The first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square occurred in 1904, just after The New York Times had relocated to a new building in what had been known as Longacre Square 7th Avenue Times Square .
That year Ochs sponsored a party to beat all parties to celebrate the new location. An all-day street festival was capped off with a fireworks display, and there were thought to have been 200,000 people in attendance. The Times continued to sponsor a New Year's Eve event in the area, and New Yorkers soon began going to Times Square instead of ringing in the new year at Trinity Church
A few years later the city banned the use of fireworks, and that led to the creation of a new tradition. At first, Ochs' team developed a creative use of lights. At the end of 1905, lights were configured to read "1906" and these electric lights flashed from the tower of the Times building, reportedly visible from miles away. The Times tower was also festooned with electric streamers that lighted the building's four corners.
But the creative thinkers were still at work.
Noting Time with Ball Drops
Everywhere in the world, the problem of synchronizing time was addressed with many forms of creativity. In 1833 The Royal Observatory in Greenwich England 1 p.m. each day, the ball would drop to mark the time and allow the captains of nearby ships to set their chronometers. (When the telegraph was invented, the exact time could be communicated beyond areas that could see the ball drop.) The success of the dropping ball was copied elsewhere in the world, and it is this tradition that is mimicked with the dropping of the ball in Times Square .
The first ball made for Times Square was iron and wood and weighed 700 pounds; it featured light from one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. It was made by an immigrant metalworker whose company, Artkraft Strauss, took responsibility for the creation and dropping of the ball for most of the 20th century.
While the ball must have been on order for many months before December 31, 1907 , its introduction was met with little joy and less fanfare. The "Bankers Crisis" had occurred in October of 1907, causing a 50 percent drop in stocks in the New York Stock Exchange and leading to the spread of a nationwide recession. There was no central bank to avert the disaster; times were very hard for people and there was little feeling of optimism. (The following year, Congress undertook a study of the country's financial structure that led to the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank.)
As a result, that fist drop of the Times Square ball was met by a subdued crowd. The New York Times reports: "The dropping of the illuminated ball on the tower of The Times
During World War II, the United States Times Square . At midnight during those war years, a minute of silence was observed followed by the ringing of chimes from sound trucks parked in Times Square .
Since that time there have been several new versions of the ball, but one thing remains the same: People enjoy gathering in Times Square --or watching via television or the Internet--to mark the beginning of a new year.
Happy new year to you all.
If you're interested in reading more about what makes this country great, please visit my website America Comes Alive, or stop by Facebook or follow me on Twitter:
“Let There Be Love”
"Let There Be Courage"
“Let There Be Joy"
"Let There Be Light"
Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. At 11:59 p.m. , the Ball begins its descent as millions of voices unite to count down the final seconds of the year, and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams.
The Ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter and weighing 11, 875 pounds, built to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation to brightly shine over 400 feet above Times Square throughout the year.
For 2011, Waterford Crystal has designed 288 new “Let There Be Love” crystal triangles featuring a romantic pattern that blends a modern cascade of hearts with diamond cutting. 288 triangles are emblazoned with last year's "Let There Be Courage" design of a ribbon medal defining the triumph of courage over adversity; and 1,152 triangles sparkle with the "Let There Be Joy" design of an angel with arms uplifted welcoming the New Year.
The remaining 960 triangles are the original "Let There Be Light" design of a stylized radiating sunburst. The 2,688 crystal triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules which are attached to the aluminum frame of the Ball. The Ball is illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs (light emitting diodes). Each LED module contains 48 Philips LEDs - 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white for a total of 8,064 of each color. By mixing these four colors, the Ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.
Watch live streaming video from 2011 at livestream.com
