By 1915 Times Square was the center of New York's nightlife as the subway make it possible for men and women from all over the city to converge to "The Crossroads of the World". Tens of thousands were pouring into the square as playhouses and theaters, opera houses, concert halls and cabarets, and restaurants were formed around the square to cater the theatergoers. But yet the greatest attraction of all was the square itself.

The first electric sign in the city appeared at Times Square as early as in 1905 and by 1913 the whole area was given the nickname "The Great White Way" as it was completely illuminated by millions of lights creating a fascinating ordered chaos.

Today the development law for Times Square requires the first 120 feet of each building's façade between 42nd and 50th Street to be used for advertising and illuminating signs. With huge signs as the Astrovision by Panasonic, the huge Budweiser bottle and the Cup Noodles on the top of 1 Times Square, the electronic billboard and the large video screens on the Reuters Building and the Morgan Stanley ticker, Times Square is the most successful place for commercial advertising and a guaranteed way to get worldwide visibility as about 20 million tourists visiting the square every year.