Image of an explosion of colorful confetti
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Happy New Year!

By Jess McKenna-Ratjen

At midnight on December 31, more than 1 billion people will watch New York City’s famous ball drop as they celebrate the start of a new year. Check out this infographic for some fun facts about the New Year’s ball—and other exciting ways U.S. cities count down!

FOCUS LIGHTING

32,256 individual bulbs light the ball.

2,688 crystal panes cover the outside.

16 MILLION colors can be made with combinations of lights.

75 FEET (23 meters) is the distance the ball falls.

11,875 pounds (5,386 kilograms) is how much the ball weighs.

Solve It! How much heavier is Atlanta’s giant peach than Hershey’s giant Kiss?

video (1)
Activities (2) Download Answer Key
Text-to-Speech