| 1150 |
Anasazi Indians leave
the area, reportedly in search of air conditioning. The Paiutes became
the primary inhabitants. |
| 1829 |
Mexican explorer Rafael
Riveras finds a desert spring and names it "Las Vegas", or "The
Meadows". |
| 1855 |
Brigham Young sends
30 missionaries to try to promote Mormonism in the South West. They
build an adobe fort just north of present day downtown. |
| 1858 |
Unsuccessful, the
Mormons leave the area. |
| 1864 |
Under Lincoln, Nevada
becomes the 36th state. |
| 1865 |
Octavius Gass, a
prospector, erects Las Vegas ranch on the old Mormon site, and becomes the
first "resident" of Las Vegas. |
| 1895 |
In San Francisco,
the first slot machine was invented by Charles Fey. |
| 1905 |
It's official, Las
Vegas is a city. 1,200 lots of land are sold at auction by the
railroad. |
| 1907 |
Fremont Street "flips
the switch" on the very first electric light in town. |
| 1909 |
All gambling becomes
illegal in the State of Nevada. |
| 1928 |
Legislation to begin
Hoover Dam is passed by congress, bringing thousands of jobs to the area.
Later, the dam brings in tourists who wanted to see the engineering
marvel. |
| 1931 |
Gambling is made legal,
again. |
| 1933 |
Prohibition is repealed,
making alcohol legal. |
| 1934 |
The Boulder Club turns
on the very first neon light in Las Vegas. Downtown hasn't been the
same since. |
| 1941 |
The El Rancho opens
on the Strip, some 5 years before Bugsy opened the Flamingo. |
| 1943 |
Also beating Bugsy
to the punch, the Last Frontier opens on the Strip. |
| 1946 |
Bugsy Siegel opens
the Flamingo on the Strip. Also, The Golden Nugget and the Eldorado
open downtown. |
| 1947 |
United Airlines becomes
the first airline to serve Las Vegas. |
| 1950 |
The Desert Inn opens,
and with it, so does the areas first golf course. |
| 1951 |
Only 65 miles away,
the first, in a series of many, nuclear test explosions takes
place. |
| 1952 |
The Sahara takes over
the old Bingo Club. |
| 1954 |
The Showboat opens
on Boulder Highway. Not only do they originate bowling alleys in Las
Vegas, they also come up with the idea of having "all you can eat
buffets". |
| 1955 |
At nine stories tall,
the Riviera opens as the 1st "high-rise" hotel on the Strip. |
| 1956 |
Both the Fremont and
the Hacienda open. |
| 1957 |
The Dunes" "Minsky
Goes to Paris" is the first to feature topless showgirls. The Tropicana
opens. |
| 1958 |
The Stardust opens,
complete with a 216 foot sign with over a mile of neon. A "sign" of
things to come? |
| 1963 |
November 25, the casinos
close from 7 a.m. to midnight to mourn the assassination of President Kennedy,
marking the only time in history that the casinos closed. Also, McCarran
International Airport opens. |
| 1966 |
The Aladdin opens.
Howard Hughes moves into the penthouse of the Desert Inn and did not take
one step outside for the next four years. Also, Caesar's Palace and
the Four Queens open. |
| 1967 |
Elvis and Priscilla
are wed at the Aladdin. |
| 1968 |
Circus Circus
opens. |
| 1969 |
Both the Landmark
and the International (now the Las Vegas Hilton) open. Elvis starts his comeback
at the International. |
| 1971 |
The Union Plaza
opens. |
| 1973 |
The MGM (now Bally's)
opens. |
| 1980 |
A fire devastates
the MGM, killing 84 people and injuring over 700 more. Later that year,
Bally's takes over the MGM. |
| 1981 |
Siegfried and Roy
begin their record of 3,538 straight sell-outs at the Frontier. |
| 1989 |
The Mirage erupts
on to the scene with it's volcano and tiger and dolphin
habitats. |
| 1990 |
Excalibur opens as
the world's largest resort, with 4,032 total rooms. |
| 1994 |
Three theme resorts
all open just a couple of months apart, the MGM Grand, Treasure Island and
the Luxor. The MGM becomes the world's largest resort with 5,005
rooms. |
| 1995 |
Downtown created the
Fremont Street Experience which had dazzled visitors with a brilliant computer
light show that is displayed on a canopy the stretches over city four
blocks. |
| 1996 |
The Stratosphere,
The Orleans, and the Monte Carlo all open. |
| 1997 |
New York, New York
brought a little bit of Broadway to the Fabulous Strip. |
| 1997 |
New |
| 1998 |
Bellagio takes the
place of the Dunes, all but ending any ties to the history of the Rat
Pack days. The date Oct. 15, 1998 will forever live in
infamy. |
| 1999 |
The Frontier renamed
itself the "New Frontier", even though it is an old name from years ago and
the casino isn't new. Next, we guess it will be the "New and Improved ,25%
More FREE, Frontier. ". |
| 1999 |
Surf's Up! Mandalay
Bay brings waves and shark tanks to the Strip in March. Have a buffet, then
grab a body board! Used to be the Hacienda. |
| 1999 |
O' Solo Mio! In May,
the Venetian opens on the old Sands property. |
| 1999 |
Continuing the "United
Nations in Vegas" theme...Paris opens on the old Little Caesar's property.
The casino, not the pizza joint, replacing quite possibly the last true Vegas
cabby hang-out. |
| 2000 |
In June, the Mirage
becomes the MGM Mirage. The expense of the Bellagio, plus other factors,
force Steve Wynn to sell his life's work to MGM owner Kirk Kerkorian.
|
| 2000 |
Later in the summer,
Steve Wynn buys the Desert Inn, then shuts the doors on another historic
casino. |
| 2000 |
The Aladdin reopens
as the "New Aladdin in August. At least the Aladdin is new. (See the "New
Frontier" above) |
