Today back in 1880 New York’s Broadway, the wide avenue in New York City that runs from Manhattan to the Bronx, became known as the “Great White Way” when it was illuminated by electricity.
According to Wikipedia The Great White Way was the nickname for a section of Broadway in the Midtown section of Manhattan, specifcally the Theatre District between 42nd and 53rd streets. In 1880, the stretch was illuminated by Brush arc lamps, making it among the first electrically-lighted streets in the US and by the 1890s, it was so brightly illuiminated by electrical advertising signs, that people began calling it “The Great White Way”.
Photo Credit: Aimee Tyrell
