Las Vegas History

1844
May 3, 1844  John C Fremont camps at the Las Vegas Springs

1905
May 15, 1905   Las Vegas Was Born

1906
February 28, 1906  Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was Born

1930
July 3, 1930   Appropriation Bill for the Boulder Dam Was Signed

1931
March 20, 1931   The first gaming license issued in Las Vegas

1935
January 8, 1935   Elvis Presley Was Born
September 30, 1935   Hoover Dam was dedicated by President FDR

1942
January 16, 1942   Carole Lombard Dies in Plane Crash Near Las Vegas
January 27, 1942   Steve Wynn was Born
October 30, 1942   The Last Frontier Hotel & Casino Opens

1943
May 22, 1943   Little Church of the West’s First Wedding

1944
October 10, 1944  Huntridge Theater opens in Las Vegas

1946
August 30, 1946   The Golden Nugget Opens
December 26, 1946  The Flamingo Opens on the Las Vegas Strip

1947
June 20, 1947  Mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Shot & Killed in Beverly Hills, CA
July 25, 1947   Club Bingo Opens

1948
September 2, 1948   The Thunderbird Hotel Opened on the Las Vegas Strip

1950
April 24, 1950   Desert Inn Hotel and Casino Opens

1951
January 27, 1951   First Nuclear Bomb Detonated at Nevada Test Site

1952
December 15, 1952   The Sands Hotel & Casino Opens
October 7, 1952   The Sahara Hotel & Casino Opened

1953
April 16, 1953   Henderson, Nevada Became a City

1954
September 3, 1954   Showboat Hotel & Casino opens

1955
May 23, 1955   The Dunes Hotel Opens

1956
April 23, 1956   Elvis Presley’s Historical First Appearance in Las Vegas.
June 8, 1956   The Silver Palace Casino opened in Downtown Las Vegas
October 17, 1956  The Hacienda Hotel Opened on the Las Vegas Strip

1957
January 10, 1957   The Dunes became the first hotel to feature a topless show

1958
April 21, 1958   United Airlines Flight 736 Mid-Air Collision near Las Vegas
July 2, 1958   The Stardust Hotel & Casino Opens
February 18, 1958   Cecil Lynch’s Fortune Club Opened in Downtown Las Vegas

1960
June 17, 1960   The El Rancho Vegas was Destroyed Fire

1961
March 21, 1961   Honest John’s Casino Opened in Downtown Las Vegas

1964
January 15, 1964   Jerry’s Nugget Opens in North Las Vegas
May 20, 1964   Viva Las Vegas Was Released
August 20, 1964   The Beatles Performed in Las Vegas

1966
August 5, 1966   Caesars Palace Opens
August 7, 1966   Performer “Charo” Weds in Las Vegas At Caesars Palace

1967
December 31, 1967 Evel Knievel Attempts to Jump Caesars Palace’s Fountains

1968
October 18, 1968   Circus Circus Opens

1969
July 1, 1969   The Landmark Hotel Opens

1970
April 29, 1970  Tennis Star Andre Agassi Was Born

1971
June 2, 1971   The Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility opened
July 2, 1971   The Union Plaza in Downtown Las Vegas Opens

1973
July 1, 1973   LVMPD Was Formed

1974
June 4, 1975   The Golden Goose Opened in Downtown Las Vegas
July 13, 1974   Bob Stupak Opens Vegas World

1975
July 3, 1975   Caesars Palace Flood in Las Vegas

1979
January 31, 1979   7.4 inches of Snow Fell in Las Vegas

1980
November 21, 1980    The MGM Grand’s Fire Disaster

1981
February 10, 1981   Fire at the Las Vegas Hilton

1982
November 13, 1982   “Boom Boom” Ray Mancini Defeats Duk Koo Kim Ends in Tragedy

1983
February 10, 1983  The Las Vegas Post Office/Courthouse Was Placed on the National Register of Historic Places

1985
May 18, 1985   Wet ‘n Wild opened on the Las Vegas Strip

1986
December 21, 1986   The Gold Coast opened on Flamingo Road

1988
May 4, 1988   PEPCON Explosion and Fire in Henderson

1989
March 17, 1989   Famous Las Vegas Artist Montyne passed away
November 22, 1989   The Mirage Resort Opened on the Las Vegas Strip

1990
January 15, 1990   The Rio Opens in Las Vegas
June 19, 1990 The Excalibur Hotel and Casino opens

1991
July 25, 1991   The Southern Nevada Water Authority was Formed
October 21, 1991   Apple’s PowerBook 100 Unveiled In Las Vegas

1992
February 24, 1992   Two Elvis Presley stamp designs were unveiled at the Las Vegas Hilton

1993
January 26, 1993   The Dunes Hotel Closed its Doors
August 29, 1993   The Stratosphere Tower Caught Fire
December 18, 1993   MGM Grand Las Vegas Opens
October 15, 1993   The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas Opens
October 27, 1993   The Dunes Hotel was Imploded
October 27, 1993   Treasure Island Hotel Opened on the Las Vegas Strip

1994
May 27, 1994  Boomtown Las Vegas (Silverton) Opened

1995
March 10, 1995   The First Hard Rock Hotel Opens in Las Vegas
November 7, 1995   The Landmark Hotel was Imploded in Las Vegas

1996
April 30, 1996   The Stratosphere Las Vegas Opens
June 18, 1996, Caesars Magical Empire Opened at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
June 21, 1996   The Monte Carlo Opened on the Las Vegas Strip
June 30, 1996  The Sands Hotel & Casino Closed
September 7, 1996   Tupac Shakur Shot in Las Vegas
December 10, 1996   The Hacienda Hotel Closed

1997
November 25, 1997   The Aladdin Hotel and Casino Closed
June 10, 1997  Sunset Station Hotel & Casino Opened in Henderson
June 28, 1997   Mike Tyson Bites Evander Holyfield Ear Off

1998
March 3, 1998   Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Opened in Las Vegas
October 15, 1998   The Bellagio opened on the Las Vegas Strip

1999
March 2, 1999   Mandalay Bay Opens in Las Vegas

May 3, 1999   The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino Opened on the Las Vegas Strip
July 15, 1999   The JW Marriott in Summerlin Opens
September 1, 1999   Paris Las Vegas Opens on the Strip

2000
May 31, 2000    The Golden Nugget and all of Steve Wynn’s other Strip properties where sold to Kirk Kerkorian
August 18, 2000   The Aladdin Re-opens
August 28, 2000   The Desert Inn Closes

2003
May 29, 2003   The Closed Moulin Rouge Caught Fire

2004
January 23, 2004   Binion’s Horseshoe was Sold
January 29, 2004   Castaways-Showboat Hotel Closes in Las Vegas

2005
February 20, 2005   Hunter S. Thompson Died
April 28, 2005   Wynn Resort Opens in Las Vegas

2006
January 11, 2006   Showboat/Castaways Hotel was Imploded
February 3, 2006   Hooters Casino Hotel Opens
February 6, 2006   Lady Luck Casino in Downtown Las Vegas Closed
May 9, 2006   Boardwalk Hotel & Casino Was Imploded

2007
February 27, 2007  The Barbary Coast Closed
March 13, 2007   The Stardust Hotel Was Imploded
July 16, 2007   The New Frontier Hotel & Casino Closed
September 16, 2007   O. J. Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas for robbery
November 13, 2007   The New Frontier Hotel was Imploded
December 30, 2007   The Palazzo opens on the Las Vegas Strip

2008
January 17, 2008   Palazzo Opens in Las Vegas
January 25, 2008   Fire at the Monte Carlo Resort
February 15, 2008   The Monte Carlo Re-opens After Fire
August 28, 2008   Eastside Cannery Opens
December 10, 2008   New Frontier Hotel marquee was taken down

2009
December 1, 2009   Vdara Hotel & Spa opens in City Center
December 16, 2009   The Aria Opens in Las Vegas

2010
February 19, 2010   Caesars Entertainment Acquires Planet Hollywood
May 21, 2010   The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Opens

2011
March 10, 2011 The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Opened
May 16, 2011   The Sahara Hotel and Casino Closes
September 1, 2011  The Plaza re-opens in Downtown Las Vegas
November 18, 2011 MineCon 2011 was held in Las Vegas

2012
February 11, 2012   Man Has Heart Attack at the Heart Attack Grill
February 14, 2012   The Mob Museum Opens in Downtown Las Vegas
February 21, 2012   New Las Vegas City Hall of Opens Today
February 22, 2012   The El Cortez was placed on the National Register of Historic Places

2013
February 4, 2013   Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Saloon Closed
June 30, 2013   The Hottest Temperature Recorded in Las Vegas 117° F
July 1, 2013   Mount Charleston Fire: Carpenter 1

2014
February 21, 2014   The Cromwell Opened on the Las Vegas Strip
March 12, 2014   Jackie Gaughan Sr. Past Away
March 31, 2014   The Largest Ferris Wheel opens in Las Vegas – The High Roller
August 23, 2014   SLS, Little League, Lion’s Share Jackpot
September 2, 2014   The Delano Las Vegas Opens

2015
January 27, 2015   White Castle Opens on the Las Vegas Strip
February 10, 2015   The Clarion Hotel & Casino was imploded
February 11, 2015   Jerry Tarkanian Passed Away
April 20, 2015  Neon Sign Designer Betty Willis Passed Away
May 4, 2015   The Riviera Closes its doors
May 14, 2015   Blues Legend and Las Vegas Local B.B. King passes away
July 25, 2015   Fire at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas

2016
May 18, 2016   IKEA opens in Las Vegas
May 19, 2016   Top Golf Opens in Las Vegas