One of the first streets in the United States to be lit by electricity was a mile long section of Broadway Avenue in New York City. In 1880, Brush arc lamps lit up the Theatre District, an area of the city located between 42nd and 53rd Streets. As Broadway became more and more popular the number of signs, marquees and billboards illuminating the region increased, creating a streetscape that literally glowed white at nighttime. The phrase first appeared in the February 3, 1902 edition of the New York Evening Telegram in a column by Shep Friedman under the headline: “Found on the Great White Way."