Everything you need to know about the Times Square ball

Every Dec. 31, about a million people fill Times Square to watch the famous, glittering ball drop during the last 30 seconds of the year.

Despite the frequently frigid winter weather, they stand outside for hours from 34th up to 59th streets, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, to experience the dawn of a new year at the "Crossroads of the World."

But Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, says the event is about much more than partying.

"It's about reflection, which is about looking back over the year that just passed, losing great people like Mandela, but also new people coming into our lives," said Tompkins.

"And then it's also about renewal and hope and looking forward with the sense of starting anew, and for some people that's a New Year's resolution and for other people it's about just a sense of hope for the future even though the past may have been tough."

And at the center of all is the famed giant, glowing ball.

So where does this ball come from? Who makes it, what is it made of, and how did the tradition start?

Have a look at our history of the ball drop -- and don't forget to make a wish for the New Year, no matter where you're celebrating: