Time ball
History
A contemporary version of the concept has been used since 31 December 1907 at New York City's Times Square as part of its New Year's Eve celebrations; at 11:59 p.m., a lit ball is lowered down a pole atop the One Times Square tower over the course of sixty seconds, concluding at midnight. For the arrival of 1988, the event's organizers acknowledged the addition of a leap second by extending the drop to 61 seconds (in reality, the leap second was applied worldwide five hours earlier at midnight UTC). The spectacle was inspired by an organizer having seen the time ball on the Western Union Building in operation.
Time ball-8