Uncrowded: the First Nearly Deserted New Year's Eve in Times Square in Over a Century.

When the paper called The Times moved to its new building in the early 1900s, owner Adolph S. Ochs bestowed the area Times Square, and started a spectacular New Year’s Eve celebration.

The tradition of a ball descending from atop One Times Square, however, officially began in 1907. Ever since, the event has only been canceled twice: in 1942 and 1943 as a consequence of post-Pearl Harbor blackout and dimouts precautions to prevent air raids during World War II.