The surprising origin of the New Year's Eve ball drop

The Brief December 31, 2016
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The Surprising Origin of the New Year's Eve Ball Drop
While the tradition dates back to the early 20th century, the idea of using a ball drop to mark time is much more than just a fun holiday activity
[http://time.com/4608451/new-years-eve-ball-drop-history/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Why Apologies Should Be Part of Your New Year's Resolutions
"The wholehearted apology is the greatest gift you can give to the hurt party, the relationship and yourself," author Harriet Lerner writes for TIME
[http://time.com/4599092/new-years-apologies/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Just Want 2016 to End Already? You'll Have to Wait Another Second
A "leap second" will be tacked on to the end of Dec. 31, to account for the precise time it takes for the earth to travel around the sun
[http://time.com/4619842/new-years-eve-day-2016-leap-second/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Watch the Most Important Moments of 2016 in 4 Minutes
Between historic elections, populist movements in America and Europe and the loss of Prince, Muhammad Ali and more, 2016 was a year like no other
[http://time.com/4603419/watch-2016-significant-moments/?xid=newsletter-brief]

President Obama Wants to Help Democrats Save Obamacare From Donald Trump
Obama will hold a meeting with Democrats on Capitol Hill to discuss how to protect the Affordable Care Act against Republican efforts to dismantle his signature domestic achievement
[http://time.com/4619873/barack-obama-obamacare-repeal-donald-trump/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Apple Might Start Making iPhones in India Next Year
Apple has long eyed emerging Asian markets as a key target for its products, many of which are currently manufactured by Foxconn in China
[http://fortune.com/2016/12/30/apple-iphone-india/?xid=newsletter-brief]

A Winter Storm Clobbered Parts of New England
A winter storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to parts of northern New England overnight, and more than 100,000 homes and businesses were without power by Friday morning in hard-hit Maine
[http://time.com/4619867/weather-winter-storm-new-england/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Take a Look Back at the People We Lost in 2016
From David Bowie to John Glenn
[http://time.com/4605801/2016-in-memoriam/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Mormon Choir Member Quits Instead of Singing at Trump's Inauguration
"I could never 'throw roses to Hitler' and I certainly could never sing for him"
[http://time.com/4619836/donald-trump-inauguration-mormon-tabernacle-choir/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Vladimir Putin Sent Seasons Greetings to America
Amid increasingly fraught cross-Atlantic relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a public New Year's greeting to President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump. This year's message comes at one of the worst moments in U.S.-Russia relations since the Cold War
[http://time.com/4619890/vladimir-putin-barack-obama-donald-trump-new-years/?xid=newsletter-brief]

First Lady Melania Trump Is About to Reveal How America Views Women
Each FLOTUS reflects the times
[http://time.com/4608959/melania-trump-first-lady-politics/?xid=newsletter-brief]

Watch the Best Viral Videos of 2016
It was a wild ride
[http://time.com/4602738/best-viral-videos-2016/?xid=newsletter-brief]

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