Revelers have gathered in Times Square on New Year’s Eve since 1904, when Adolph Ochs, son of immigrants and owner of The New York Times, organized a celebration for the opening of the newspaper’s new headquarters. (Ochs also lobbied to change the name of the erstwhile Longacre Square.) However, the first ball drop wasn’t until 1907. That ball, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. It was built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, whose sign company, Artkraft Strauss, was responsible for lowering the ball for most of the 20th century. Read more about New York City history during this era and the vital role of immigrants in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
