The reference news network reported on December 30 that the New York Times Square's New Year's Eve crystal ball is composed of 2668 crystal triangles and 32256 bulbs flashing red, blue, green and white light, weighing 5.38 tons. Everyone hopes that the crystal ball will end the year of COVID-19 as soon as possible.
According to the Efe news agency New York reported on December 28, the last 60 seconds of New York time in 2020, the crystal ball will descend from a height of 24 meters, when the Americans will open a 10-second countdown and start the new year with kisses. But this year, Times Square's New Year's Eve event will be a celebration without spectators.
According to reports, at 23:59 on December 31, the crystal ball device will be activated, and the crystal ball with a diameter of 3.6 meters will send a final farewell to 2020. Jeffrey Strauss, the head of the event, said in an interview with the Effie news agency: "Everyone hopes that 2020 will pass quickly, 5, 4, 3... Welcome to the new year. ”
Strauss said the 6 technicians will make sure the event runs smoothly and without surprises. The crystal ball landing ceremony dates back to 1907 and was cancelled only in 1942 and 1943 due to World War II.
The tradition of New York's iconic Times Square New Year's Eve is reportedly dating back to 1904. At the time, New York Times editor Adolf Oakes wanted to organize a fireworks show at his new headquarters in the square for that year's New Year's Eve event.
The New York Times reported at the time: "On December 31, 1904, tens of thousands of revelers will gather in the Center of Manhattan next to the new New York Times building." ”
However, the crystal ball did not appear until 3 years later. The crystal ball weighed 317 kilograms, was 1.5 meters in diameter and was equipped with 100 white bulbs. Since then, the material and lighting of the crystal ball have changed constantly, and the "apple" shape was even used in the 1980s. It wasn't until 2007, the first centenary of the Crystal Ball, that its shape was determined to become what we see today.
On January 1, 2020, a building in Times Square in the United States set off New Year fireworks and displayed the words "Happy New Year" on a large screen. Xinhua