Los Angeles New Year’s Eve ‘ball drop’ tradition goes viral

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Jan. 11, is the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Attorney General issuing findings on the link between smoking and cancer. The American adult incidence of smoking has since gone from 40 percent to 18 percent of the population. This billboard is located i

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LOS ANGELES - Depending on where you spent New Year's Eve, you might have seen a conventional fireworks show, watched the ball drop in Times Square, or clinked a simple glass of champagne with some loved ones.

But if you happened to find yourself in West Los Angeles Sunday just before midnight, you may have witnessed a different kind of countdown.

Located on the south side of Santa Monica Blvd. stands a digital billboard representing the number of annual smoking deaths that have occurred in the United States, as reported by the American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society.

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Not only has the somewhat morbid landmark acted as a stark reminder about the dangers of cigarette smoking, but it's also a beloved New Year's Eve tradition for many locals across Los Angeles County.

Every year on New Year's Eve, Angelenos gather around the infamous billboard. Onlookers count down the seconds to midnight, at which time the billboard resets itself to zero.

When the billboard does reset, the crowd cheers.

For just a moment, the page is turned, the year is new, and there is not a single smoking death in America.