Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Times Square ball drop

Back in ye olde times, December 31st was a day when people would congregate at Trinity Church in New York City at Wall Street and Broadway—the spot where 7th Avenue met Broadway and 42 Street was called "Longacre Square." Since then, Times Square has (obviously) taken on a new name and become the iconic symbol of New Year's Eve. The folks at The Atlantic have published a piece detailing the history of the now-infamous ball drop. They talk about the first ball that sat atop One Times Square and the origin of the event itself, the sale of the Times building, replacing the iron-and-wooden ball with a fancy computer one and the recently updated LED version. Basically, it's got everything you've ever wanted to know about America's biggest New Year's Eve tradition. Plus, the old-timey photos are awesome.