December 31, 2024
In 1833 the Greenwich Royal Observatory in England installed a “time ball” on top of its building. The ball would rise up a pole at 12:55 PM daily and drop precisely at 1 PM, allowing observers to accurately set their timepieces. Time balls became fixtures in many coastal towns to aid ships at sea. In 1907 the lowering of a time ball at midnight became part of New York’s Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration.
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BRITANNICA.COM
Why Does the New Year Start on January 1?
In many countries the New Year begins on January 1. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, for centuries, other dates marked the start of the calendar, including March 25 and December 25. So how did January 1 become New Year’s Day? We can partly thank the Roman king Numa Pompilius.
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