The Irish origins of the world-famous New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square

Waterford Crystal, headquartered in Co Waterford, has been outfitting the Times Square Ball with crystal panels since the 2000 New Year’s Eve Celebration.

While New York City's New Year's Eve ball drop tradition dates back to 1907, it was 1999 before Waterford Crystal was brought aboard along with Philips Lighting to craft the modern Ball to welcome the new millennium.

In August 1999, Alderman Pat Haynes, the then-Mayor of Waterford, Ireland, escorted the crystal panels from Ireland to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and presented them to then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other distinguished guests.

The new Ball, designed by Waterford Crystal, was six feet in diameter and featured 540 hand-crafted crystal triangles. Transparent, its central circle represented the Earth while its seven-pointed star represented the planet's continents.

Waterford Crystal continues to craft the crystals that are viewed by millions of people around the world on New Year's Eve.

In 2007, for the 100th anniversary of the Times Square Ball Drop tradition, Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting crafted a new LED crystal Ball. The incandescent and halogen bulbs of the past century were replaced by state-of-the-art Philips Luxeon LED lighting technology that dramatically increased the brightness and color capabilities of the Ball.

The following year, the permanent Big Ball was unveiled atop One Times Square where it sparkles above Times Square throughout the year.

The beauty and energy efficiency of the Centennial Ball inspired the building owners of One Times Square to build the permanent Big Ball weighing nearly six tons and twelve feet in diameter. The 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles are illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs. This Big Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is now a year-round attraction sparkling above Times Square in full public view from January through December.

You can watch the Waterford Crystal New Year's Eve Ball drop in Times Square via this live stream on Sunday, December 31:

Fun facts about the New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square

• The Ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter, and weighs 11,875 pounds.
• The Ball is covered with a total of 2,688 crystal triangles that vary in size, and range in length from 4 ¾ inches to 5 ¾ inches per side.
• Each crystal triangle has a special sparkling pattern - 192 crystal triangles are the Gift of Love design of overlapping hearts entwined together symbolizing love for family and friends. 192 are the Gift of Wisdom design of a central wheel with wedge cut petals of knowledge growing ever forward. 192 are the Gift of Happiness design of a sunburst of bright cuts radiating outward like a beautiful sunny day brings warm smiles and happiness. 192 are the Gift of Goodwill design of three pineapples signifying the traditional symbol of hospitality and goodwill. 192 are the Gift of Harmony design of small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony. 192 are the Gift of Serenity design of butterflies flying peacefully above a crystal meadow capturing the spirit of serenity. 192 are the Gift of Kindness design of a circle of rosettes symbolizing unity with the fronds reaching out in an expression of kindness. 192 are the Gift Of Wonder design of a faceted starburst inspiring our sense of wonder. 192 are the Gift of Fortitude design of diamond cuts on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage, and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity. The remaining 960 Gift of Imagination triangles are a series of intricate wedge cuts that are mirrored reflections of each other inspiring our imagination.
• 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 LEDs (light-emitting diodes). Each LED module contains 48 LEDs — 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white for a total of 8,064 of each color.
• The Ball is capable of displaying a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns that create a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.

History of the New Year's Eve Ball

• The first Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration was held in 1904, and the first New Year’s Eve Ball lowering celebration atop One Times Square was in 1907. The New Year’s Eve Ball is the now property of the building owners of One Times Square. 
• Seven versions of the Ball have been designed to signal the New Year. The first Ball was made of iron and wood, weighed 700 pounds, and was covered with 100 light bulbs.
• In 1920, a 400-pound iron Ball replaced the iron and wood Ball.
• In 1955, a 150-pound aluminum Ball with 180 light bulbs replaced the iron Ball.
• In 1995, the aluminum Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, and computer controls.
• In 1999, the Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball was created to welcome the new millennium.
• In 2007, modern LED technology replaced the light bulbs of the past for the 100th Anniversary of the New Year’s Eve Ball.
• In 2008, the permanent Big Ball was unveiled atop One Times Square shining brightly above Times Square throughout the year.

(Fun facts and history provided by Times Square.)