60 Fun Facts About Las Vegas

What does the Spanish name 'Las Vegas' mean in English?

Las Vegas means 'The meadows' in Spanish: a vega is a fertile lowland, and the name described the grassy ground around the valley's natural springs on the Old Spanish Trail.

Las Vegas is the county seat of which Nevada county?

Las Vegas is the seat of Clark County, created in 1909 and named for William A. Clark, the senator whose railroad founded the town; most Strip casinos sit in the county outside city limits.

Which unincorporated town holds most of the Las Vegas Strip, which lies outside the city?

Most of the Strip lies in Paradise, an unincorporated town casino owners created in December 1950 to block annexation, and its taxes, by the city of Las Vegas.

Guy McAfee nicknamed Las Vegas Boulevard's casino row after which road in Los Angeles?

Guy McAfee ran the Pair-o-Dice Club, the first casino on the highway, and borrowed the name from Hollywood.

In what year did Nevada legalise casino gambling and cut divorce residency to six weeks?

Nevada legalised casino gambling on March 19, 1931 and cut divorce residency to six weeks that same year, just as Hoover Dam construction began bringing thousands of workers to the area.

Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905 when land was auctioned beside what?

The railroad tracks: on May 15, 1905 the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad auctioned 110 acres beside its new line, creating the townsite that became downtown Las Vegas.

Which religious group built a fort at Las Vegas in 1855 on the road between Salt Lake City and California?

Mormons from Salt Lake City built the adobe fort in 1855 as a mission and way station; they abandoned it in 1857, and part of it survives as Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park.

Downtown's Fremont Street is named after which American explorer?

Fremont Street honours John C. Frémont, the explorer who camped at the Las Vegas springs in May 1844; the street had the city's first hotel, the Hotel Nevada, in 1906.

The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was designed in 1959 by whom?

Betty Willis designed the sign in 1959 for Western Neon; she never copyrighted it, calling it her gift to the city, so the design appears freely on merchandise.

The white circles across the top of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign represent what?

They are a nod to Nevada's nickname, the Silver State.

The Hoover Dam sits on the Colorado River on the border between Nevada and which other state?

The Hoover Dam spans Black Canyon on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona; Franklin Roosevelt dedicated it on September 30, 1935, more than two years ahead of schedule.

What is the name of the vast reservoir created by the Hoover Dam?

Lake Mead, named for Reclamation commissioner Elwood Mead, is the largest reservoir in the United States by capacity and stretches up to 112 miles when full.

The town built to house Hoover Dam workers, about 30 miles from Las Vegas, is called what?

Boulder City was built by the federal government from 1931 to house Hoover Dam workers; President Hoover ordered dam work started six months early, so many workers first lived in tents at Ragtown.

Which mobster took over the building of the Flamingo, which opened in December 1946?

Bugsy Siegel took over the Flamingo from Billy Wilkerson, founder of The Hollywood Reporter, and its budget ballooned from about $1 million to $6 million before the December 26, 1946 opening.

The Flamingo's mob builder was shot dead in June 1947 in whose Beverly Hills mansion?

His partners believed he or his girlfriend had skimmed about $1 million from the Flamingo's construction budget.

Which billionaire moved into the Desert Inn in 1966, refused to leave, and simply bought the hotel?

Howard Hughes arrived at the Desert Inn in November 1966, bought it in 1967 when asked to leave, then added the Sands, Frontier, Silver Slipper, Castaways and Landmark, pushing the mob out of ownership.

Which casino resort's name deliberately has no apostrophe?

Caesars Palace, opened in 1966 by Jay Sarno with a Teamsters pension-fund loan, omits the apostrophe so that every guest is a Caesar rather than a visitor to one Caesar's palace.

Which stuntman crashed jumping the fountains of a Roman-themed Strip resort on December 31, 1967?

Evel Knievel tried to clear the Caesars Palace fountains, about 141 feet, on December 31, 1967; he came up short, tumbled into the Dunes car park and crushed his pelvis.

Steve Wynn's 1989 Strip megaresort was famous for what free attraction out front?

Its success set off the 1990s building boom; the resort closed in July 2024 to be rebuilt as Hard Rock Las Vegas.

Which magic duo headlined at Wynn's volcano-fronted resort from 1990 until a tiger attack ended their show?

Siegfried & Roy, the German-born illusionists, opened at the Mirage in 1990 and had given 5,750 shows there when a white tiger mauled Roy Horn on stage on October 3, 2003.

The Bellagio, opened in 1998, is themed after a village on which Italian lake?

Bellagio is named for the town on Lake Como; Steve Wynn opened it in 1998 on the site of the Dunes, with fountains whose 1,214 nozzles shoot water up to 460 feet.

What claim is made for the beam shining from the Luxor pyramid's tip?

The Luxor's Sky Beam is billed as the most powerful man-made light on Earth, at about 42.3 billion candela; the 30-storey pyramid opened in October 1993.

The Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas is built at what scale?

It is a one half scale replica, rising about 540 feet against the original's roughly 1,080; the resort also copies the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and the Paris Opera House.

When the MGM Grand opened in 1993 with more than 5,000 rooms, its dominant theme was which film?

The MGM Grand opened in December 1993 with an Emerald City entrance themed on The Wizard of Oz; then the largest hotel in the world, it shed the Oz décor in a renovation begun in 1996.

The 1980 fire at the original MGM Grand (the Horseshoe since 2022) killed how many people?

Most of the 85 died from smoke inhalation in the hotel tower, and the disaster led to sweeping changes in fire safety codes. The property became Bally's in 1986 and the Horseshoe in 2022.

The Excalibur was the world's largest hotel when it opened in 1990. What is its theme?

Its designers toured European castles for ideas, and it held the size record only until the MGM Grand opened three years later.

The Venetian was built on the site of which demolished Rat Pack-era casino?

Sheldon Adelson opened it in 1999 with canals and gondola rides; the old resort had hosted Sinatra and the Rat Pack in its Copa Room.

At 1,149 feet, what distinction does the spire at The Strat hold?

At 1,149 feet the Strat is the tallest observation tower in the United States; in the Western Hemisphere only Toronto's CN Tower is a taller observation tower. The top holds a revolving restaurant and thrill rides.

The Fremont Street Experience, opened in 1995, is best known for what overhead feature?

Its overhead feature is a giant LED canopy, Viva Vision, arching 90 feet over four blocks of Fremont Street; it opened in 1995 with incandescent bulbs and was converted to LEDs in 2004.

Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy erected in 1951, waves from the front of which downtown casino?

Vegas Vic was erected on the Pioneer Club in 1951; the winking, cigarette-smoking cowboy broke from text-only neon signs and became a symbol of the city, outliving the casino, which closed in 1995.

What is the Hand of Faith, displayed in a downtown Las Vegas casino lobby?

The Hand of Faith is the largest gold nugget on show anywhere, a roughly 60-pound lump found in Australia in 1980 and displayed at the Golden Nugget, which opened in 1946 and launched Steve Wynn's career.

The Sphere, opened in 2023, was launched with a residency by which band?

U2 opened the Sphere on September 29, 2023 with their U2:UV Achtung Baby residency; the building's exterior carries about 580,000 square feet of LED screen, the world's largest display when it opened.

The High Roller Ferris wheel opened in 2014 as the tallest in the world. How tall is it?

It lost the title to Ain Dubai in 2021 and remains the centrepiece of Caesars Entertainment's LINQ promenade.

Which pianist, once the world's highest-paid entertainer, made Las Vegas his principal venue?

Liberace, whose candelabra-topped piano act became his trademark, opened the Riviera in 1955 at $50,000 a week, a record Las Vegas salary, and kept the city as his home base until his death in 1987.

Which hotel staged the showgirl revue Folies Bergère from 1959 to 2009?

The Tropicana staged the Folies Bergère, a Paris-style showgirl revue, from December 1959 until March 2009, making it the longest-running production show in Las Vegas history.

Elvis Presley's 1969 Las Vegas engagement, 57 shows in four weeks, was at which new resort?

The International, opened by Kirk Kerkorian in July 1969 with the city's largest showroom, hosted Elvis's comeback engagement; he had married Priscilla in a suite at the Aladdin in May 1967.

Wayne Newton's signature song, later used in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, is which?

Danke Schoen, Wayne Newton's 1963 hit, became his signature over decades of Las Vegas residencies that earned him the nickname Mr. Las Vegas; Matthew Broderick mimes it on a parade float in the 1986 film.

Which team, founded in 2017, was Las Vegas's first major-league franchise?

The Golden Knights began play in 2017, reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first season and won the Cup in 2023, their sixth; the WNBA's Aces arrived in 2018 and the Raiders in 2020.

The Raiders arrived in Las Vegas in 2020 from which city?

The Raiders moved from Oakland in 2020, their third relocation after two stints there around a spell in Los Angeles; they play at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, nicknamed the Death Star for its black exterior.

Super Bowl LVIII, the first played in Las Vegas, was won in overtime by which team?

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024, in only the second overtime Super Bowl, after Super Bowl LI in 2017.

The Las Vegas Aces won back-to-back WNBA titles in which two years?

The Aces won in 2022 and 2023, beating Connecticut and then New York in the Finals, the first repeat since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.

Formula One returned to Las Vegas in November 2023 for the first time since when?

Formula One last visited for the 1982 Caesars Palace race, run in the resort's car park; the November 2023 return was a night race on a street circuit that includes part of the Strip.

The World Series of Poker traces its origin to a 1970 tournament at whose Horseshoe casino?

Benny Binion staged the first World Series of Poker at his Horseshoe in 1970: seven players took part and Johnny Moss was voted champion; the Main Event became a Texas hold 'em freeze-out in 1971.

Which 2003 WSOP Main Event winner had qualified through an online satellite?

Chris Moneymaker, an accountant, won the 2003 Main Event after qualifying through an $86 PokerStars satellite; his $2.5 million win is credited with setting off the online poker boom.

The Mob Museum, opened in 2012, is housed in what kind of former building?

The Mob Museum occupies a post office and courthouse built in 1933, where the Kefauver hearings sat in 1950; the federal government sold it to the city for one dollar on condition it was restored.

Las Vegas's airport, formerly McCarran, was renamed in 2021 after which senator?

The airport became Harry Reid International in December 2021, honouring the Nevada Democrat who led the US Senate from 2007 to 2015; it is one of the few airports with slot machines in its terminals.

In Ocean's Eleven (2001), the crew robs the shared vault of the Bellagio, the MGM Grand and which third casino?

The Mirage, the MGM Grand and the Bellagio share Terry Benedict's underground vault in the film; Danny Ocean's crew rehearses in a full-scale replica before stealing more than $150 million.

Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino is based on the real story of which mob-connected casino executive?

Frank Rosenthal, known as Lefty, secretly ran the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda and Marina casinos for the Chicago Outfit in the 1970s; he survived a 1982 car bombing, and Joe Pesci's character is based on enforcer Anthony Spilotro.

Which boxer appears as himself in The Hangover, the 2009 comedy about a Las Vegas bachelor party?

Mike Tyson plays himself, punching out Alan and demanding his tiger back; the film grossed over $460 million worldwide, a record for an R-rated comedy at the time.

Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas follows Raoul Duke and his attorney, known by what name?

Doctor Gonzo, the 300-pound Samoan attorney of the 1971 book, is based on Chicano lawyer Oscar Zeta Acosta; Ralph Steadman's ink drawings illustrated the text.

A Little White Wedding Chapel is famous for offering what for couples in a hurry?

Its signature is a drive-thru Tunnel of Vows, where couples marry without leaving the car; past weddings at the chapel include Michael Jordan in 1989 and Britney Spears in 2004.

CES, a Las Vegas January fixture since 1978, was first held in 1967 where?

The first CES ran in June 1967 in New York City, drawing about 17,500 attendees; a winter edition settled in Las Vegas in 1978, and the show became Las Vegas-only from 1998.

Area 51, about 83 miles north of Las Vegas, was acquired in 1955 to test which aircraft?

The CIA chose the Groom Lake site in 1955 to flight-test the Lockheed U-2 spy plane, which first flew there in August 1955; the base is officially Homey Airport.

Owing to its large Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population, Las Vegas is nicknamed what?

Hawaiians call Las Vegas the ninth island of Hawaii, after the state's eight main islands, because so many have moved there, drawn by cheap flights and the California Hotel, a downtown casino that courts Hawaiian visitors.

Nevada joined the Union on October 31, 1864, earning which nickname?

It became the 36th state during the Civil War; it is also officially the Silver State and, from its native plant, the Sagebrush State.

Las Vegas sits on the floor of which desert?

Las Vegas lies in the Mojave Desert, the driest of North America's deserts, at an elevation of about 2,000 feet, which gives it cooler winters than lower desert cities such as Phoenix.

Which Mexican trader led a 60-man party along the Old Spanish Trail past the future Las Vegas in 1829?

Antonio Armijo led the 60-man trading caravan from Abiquiú, New Mexico toward Los Angeles in 1829; his young scout Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native person to see the Las Vegas valley.

Nuclear testing 65 miles away earned Las Vegas which 1950s nickname?

Las Vegas styled itself Atomic City, selling atomic cocktails and Miss Atomic Bomb contests while visitors watched mushroom clouds from the Nevada Test Site, until the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty pushed tests underground.

Which hotel, opened in 1955, was the first racially integrated casino-hotel in Las Vegas?

The Moulin Rouge opened in May 1955 on Bonanza Road as the city's first racially integrated casino-hotel, with Joe Louis as a host; it closed within months, and the 1960 desegregation agreement was signed there.

Which temperature did Las Vegas reach on July 7, 2024, setting a new city record?

Las Vegas hit 120 °F on July 7, 2024, beating its previous record of 117 °F; July 2024 was also the city's hottest month, with a mean temperature of 99.9 °F.