Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
Box 870370
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
205-348-6644

© 2026 Alabama Public Radio
Donate/Portal
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We're experiencing technical difficulties for the signal 100.7 in Huntsville. Click here for other ways to listen.

How the New Year's Eve countdown began

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom
Published December 31, 2025 at 11:03 AM CST
The 7-foot tall "2026" numerals are displayed at an illumination ceremony in Times Square, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (Adam Gray/AP)
Adam Gray/AP
The 7-foot tall "2026" numerals are displayed at an illumination ceremony in Times Square, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (Adam Gray/AP)

As we approach the new year, did you know that counting down to midnight in the last seconds of Dec. 31 is a modern phenomenon?

Historian of history, Alexis McCrossen, takes us through where it comes from and how New Year went from a local celebration to a national and international one.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR
Arts & Life
Here & Now Newsroom
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.
Donate