The USNO Millennium Time Ball
Tonight, roughly a million revelers will watch in person in New York’s Times Square, and over a billion viewers are expected to watch on television or online, as the New Year’s Eve ball drop rings in 2026 with a dazzling new time ball — the largest in the history of the event that started 118 years ago.
The Constellation Ball, as it has been named, is the ninth ball to usher in the new year at the famous Midtown Manhattan intersection. It measures 12.5 feet in diameter and weighs just over 12,000 pounds, is bejeweled with 5,280 circular Waterford crystals in three different sizes — 1.5-inch, 3-inch and 4-inch — as well as LED light pucks.
In another first, the dazzling new ball will be lowered twice, to celebrate both the arrival of the new year and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve 2025, the Constellation Ball will drop and then rise back up to be relit in red, white and blue for a second celebration.
The tradition of the ball drop began in 1907 after New York City officials banned New Year’s fireworks over concerns about the celebration setting the city on fire. Instead, they chose a time ball to mark the birth of the new year, But where did the tradition of dropping a ball to mark the time originate? The practice dates back to 1829 and was a key tool for making it possible for sailors to calculate their position at sea.
Hundreds of Victorian hobnailed shoes have washed ashore on the UK’s Ogmore By Sea Beach in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. The remarkable trove of footwear was discovered by volunteers from the 
Australian sailor Deirdre “Cookie” Sibly, 67, and French sailor Pascal Mahe have been found dead on the yacht 
The criminal clown circus that is the Trump regime continues to spin out of control with lethal consequences.
President Trump is threatening to start a war with Venezuela, allegedly to counter drug trafficking to the United States. At the same time, the would-be king has announced his intention to pardon the notorious drug kingpin and former president of Honduras, 
Last week, Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, and House Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander,and Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan filmed a short 
Happy Thanksgiving to those on this side of the pond and below the 49th parallel. (The Canadians celebrated the holiday in October.)
The Russian ship
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The search for a crew member who was lost overboard from the 
While it is often said that the British Royal Navy has more admirals than warships, the claim is a misleading simplification. It all depends on how one defines “admirals” and “warships.”