2. Camel Cigarettes
Times Square is covered in flashy signs, but few are as memorable as the Camel cigarettes billboard, which was installed in 1941. To create the illusion of a man blowing smoke rings, a machine was placed behind the sign that pushed steam out of a hole every four seconds.
Installed on the exterior of the Claridge Hotel, the 30-foot by 100-foot billboard was a signature fixture of Times Square from 1941 to 1966. During WWII, the featured man was depicted as a soldier, sailor and airman.