Exactly what takes place in Vegas ... well, you know the rest. Here are 24 facts about Sin City you likely haven't heard.
1. Many of Vegas' iconic hotels aren't technically located in the city of Las Vegas. An excellent part of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the well known "Invite to Fabulous Las Vegas" indication-- are actually situated in an unincorporated municipality called Paradise, Nevada.
2. One attraction that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the extra-large neon cowboy that presides over downtown's well known Fremont Street. It's the biggest mechanical neon check in the world.
3. More than 41 million visitors cycle through Sin City each year ...
4. ... So it's a great thing the town boasts 14 of the world's 20 greatest hotels.
5. There's so much genuine estate for tourists to benefit from, it would take an individual 288 years to spend a night in every hotel space in the city.
6. There's a secret city below the city. Miles of tunnels-- originally developed to secure the desert town from flash floods-- house hundreds of homeless citizens.
7. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Gambling establishment got its name from founder-- and legendary mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's sweetheart. Actress Virginia Hill went by the label "The Flamingo" due to the fact that of her red hair and long, thin legs.
In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas had its own set of discriminatory Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service jobs-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's hotels and casinos. In 1952, acting legend Sammy Davis Jr. took a dip in the whites-only swimming pool at the New Frontier Hotel & Gambling Establishment.
In May 1955, the Moulin Rouge made history when it became the city's first interracial casino. Famous fighter Joe Louis, a part owner, declared, "This isn't the opening of a Las Vegas hotel.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Las Vegas was understood for putting on a various type of program. Las Vegas' Chamber of Commerce saw a moneymaking chance, and chose to distribute calendars advertising detonation times and choice viewing locations.
Famous recluse Howard Hughes checked into the strip's Desert Inn on Thanksgiving Day 1966, renting the entire top 2 floorings. When he overstayed his 10-day reservation, he was asked to leave.
12. FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith saved the delivery company with a trip to Vegas. In 1974-- 3 years after he created the business-- the Yale graduate took the venture's last $5,000 and turned it into $32,000 with a weekend of blackjack. His, er, gamble gave the company enough cash to survive.
13. Do not disrupt: Vegas has more unlisted contact number than other city in the United States.
Nevada law mentions that video slot makers must pay back a minimum of 75 percent of the money deposited on average. (Though it's worth noting that in New Jersey, home to gambling capital Atlantic City, it's 83 percent.).
15. It takes roughly 10 minutes to nab a marriage license at the bureau in downtown Las Vegas, which is open every day from 8 a.m. until midnight. No wonder some 10,000 couples wed in the city every month.
More than 60,000 pounds of the shellfish are consumed in the city each day. That's higher than the rest of the country-- combined.
17. The half-scale design of the Eiffel Tower, situated outside Paris Las Vegas, was initially planned to be full-size, but due to the Homepage close proximity of the airport-- simply 3 miles-- it needed to be shrunk down. In contrast, the Luxor Las Vegas' Sphinx is in fact bigger than the original Fantastic Sphinx of Giza.
18. At 50 loads, the bronze lion outside the MGM Grand Hotel is believed to be the biggest bronze sculpture in the western hemisphere.
19. The distinct gold color of the windows at the Mirage Hotel originates from actual gold dust.
20. There are 3933 guest rooms at Bellagio Las Vegas-- more than the number of homeowners in the city of Bellagio, Italy.
21. Not into gambling establishments? The city likewise features a heavy equipment playground where construction lovers can drive around bulldozers for enjoyable.
22. Prior to his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was looking into doing a Vegas residency. He prepared to market it with a 50-foot robot-likeness of himself that would wander the Nevada desert.
23. At Vegas diner Heart Attack Grill, waitresses dress in nurses clothes and clients can purchase an 8000-calorie quadruple bypass burger with a side of flatliner fries. (Fried in pure lard!) Unfortunately, in 2013, one of the spot's routine customers passed away ... from an apparent heart attack.
24. From external space, the Las Vegas Strip looks like the brightest spot on Earth. Who cares if it's not actually in Las Vegas?
Many of Vegas' iconic hotels aren't technically located in the city of Las Vegas. A great portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the famed "Invite to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign-- are actually situated in an unincorporated area called Paradise, Nevada.
One attraction that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the extra-large neon cowboy that presides over downtown's famed Fremont Street. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Gambling establishment got its name from creator-- and legendary mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's girlfriend. In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas had its own set of prejudiced Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service jobs-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's hotels and gambling establishments.