7. Times Square is Named After the New York Times
Times Square, the tourist-glutted hotspot we all know and love, was named after The New York Times in 1904 when the publication moved into its new headquarters building there to 1 Times Square. It decided to advertise with the new “spectaculars,” so called because of their large, complex light displays and intricate designs (some flashed, and some even had animated sections that moved). The show was so impressive that New Yorkers stopped celebrating New Year’s Eve at Trinity Church. The first New Year’s Eve Ball went up in 1908. The New York Times has relocated since to 8th Avenue.
Fun fact: The section of Broadway from 42nd to 53rd Street was nicknamed the Great White Way in the late 1890s, back when the street was one of the first to be fully illuminated by electric light.