Editing Times Square (section)

=== 1930s–1950s ===
[[File:V-J Day in New York City. Crowds gather in Times Square to celebrate the surrender of Japan. - NARA - 531350.tif|thumb|right|Crowds celebrating in Times Square on [[V-J Day]] (August 15, 1945)]]
The general atmosphere of Times Square changed with the onset of the [[Great Depression]] in the early 1930s. City residents moved uptown to cheaper neighborhoods, and many popular theaters closed, replaced by saloons, brothels, "burlesque halls, vaudeville stages, and dime houses".<ref>{{cite web |last=Macbeth |first=VR |url=http://timessquare.com/NYC__/Times_Square_History/The_Great_White_Way/ |url-status=dead |title=The Great White Way |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504160457/http://timessquare.com/NYC__/Times_Square_History/The_Great_White_Way/ |archive-date=May 4, 2011 |website=Timessquare.com |date=May 1, 2012}}</ref> The area acquired a reputation as a dangerous and seedy neighborhood in the following decades.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timessquarenyc.org/visitor-tips/history/index.aspx |title=From Dazzling to Dirty and Back Again: A Brief History of Times Square |website=History of Times Square |date=May 17, 2017 |publisher=Times Square District Management Association |access-date=July 23, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924073054/http://www.timessquarenyc.org/visitor-tips/history/index.aspx }}</ref>

Nevertheless, Times Square continued to be the site of the annual [[Times Square Ball|ball drop on New Year's Eve]]. The ball drop was placed on hiatus for New Year's Eve in 1942 and 1943 due to lighting restrictions during [[World War II]], replaced by a moment of silence that was observed at midnight in Times Square, accompanied by the sound of chimes played from sound trucks.<ref>Moench, Mallory. [https://time.com/6551253/new-years-eve-times-square-ball-drop-facts/ "10 Surprising Facts About the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', December 31, 2023. Accessed January 2, 2024. "The ball went out of commission for two years, in 1942 and 1943, during World War II, Times Square's website said. Crowds still gathered for a minute of silence followed by chimes ringing from trucks parked at the Times Tower."</ref>

On May 8, 1945, a massive crowd celebrated [[Victory in Europe Day]] in Times Square;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/qt/v-eday.html |title=V-E Day |access-date=May 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515065523/http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/qt/v-eday.html |archive-date=May 15, 2008 |publisher=University of San Diego}}</ref> and on August 15, 1945, the largest crowd in the history of Times Square gathered to celebrate [[Victory over Japan Day]], reaching an estimated two million.<ref name="life1945082721">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e0gEAAAAMBAJ&q=life%20magazine%20aug%2027%201945&pg=PA21 |title=Victory Celebrations |magazine=Life |date=August 27, 1945 |access-date=November 25, 2011 |page=21}}</ref> The victory itself was announced by a headline on the "zipper" [[news ticker]] at [[One Times Square]], which read "OFFICIAL ***TRUMAN ANNOUNCES JAPANESE SURRENDER ***".<ref>[https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/no-matter-the-reason-celebration-in-times-square "No Matter The Reason, Celebration In Times Square"], [[New-York Historical Society]], December 27, 2012. Accessed January 2, 2024. "On August 14, 1945 at 7:03&nbsp;pm the Times Tower zipper delivered the news: 'Official—Truman Announces Japanese Surrender.' The excited crowd, already 500,000 strong, soared to 2 million by 10 pm."</ref>