On this day in the year; 1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York Citys Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight. The Ball drop got its origin from Time balls. These balls had been a favored way of broadcasting the time to sea travelers in the 19th century. Ports would set up a tall pole with a ball at the top, which would then drop and reach the bottom at noon. This allowed a ship’s navigator to set the time without docking. The method quickly gained popularity, and by the late 1800’s even landlocked cities had them. The first one was built in 1829 by inventor Robert Wauchope. They soon became regular features in ports across the world. By the beginning of the 20th century, with the advent of radio and other more advanced technologies, the time ball became obsolete. In 1907, the time ball, while not completely considered archaic yet, was beginning to become something people just enjoyed watching. https://youtube/watch?v=6iw0C5F5cwI
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 22:59:48 +0000
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