NEW : Mayor , medal of honor winner start the ball drop . That first ball , built with iron and wood , featured one hundred light bulbs and was designed by Jacob Starr , a young immigrant metalworker . Since the year , a ball-drop in Times Square has marked the changing of 1907 . the year , the ball will have lights that can mix to produce 32,256 of colors .
NEW : Mayor , medal of honor winner start the ball drop . Since the year , a ball-drop in Times Square has marked the changing of 1907 . the year , the ball will have lights that can mix to produce 32,256 of colors .