There are two “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” signs; the famous one on the strip, and a smaller one on the outskirts of Vegas. There used to be three, but it was knocked over by a drunk driver.
Las Vegas
The USPS mistook a Las Vegas…
The USPS mistook a Las Vegas replica for the real Statue of Liberty when creating the Lady Liberty “forever” stamp in 2010, resulting in a $3.5m payout to the replica’s sculptor for violating his copyright.
Atomic tests were a tourist draw…
In 1950s, atomic tests were a tourist draw in Las Vegas. They advertised detonation times and best viewing spots to see the massive flash and mushroom cloud from the bomb test site, 65 miles away. Casinos flaunted their north-facing vistas, offering special “atomic cocktails” and “Dawn Bomb Parties”.
Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack…
Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack are widely credited with helping end segregation in Las Vegas, by refusing to perform in venues that wouldn’t allow blacks.
In Las Vegas during the 1950s…
In Las Vegas during the 1950s, casinos offered “Atomic Tourism” in which guests could watch atomic bombs be tested in the desert as a form of entertainment.
In Las Vegas there were atomic bomb…
In Las Vegas there were atomic bomb parties chamber of commerce advertised detonation times and the best spots for watching. Casinos offered special “atomic cocktails” and “Dawn Bomb Parties,” Women dressed as mushroom clouds for the “Miss Atomic Energy” crown at the Sands.
Michael Jordan once tipped…
Michael Jordan once tipped a waitress a $5 chip for bringing him a drink. Wayne Gretzky stopped the waitress, removed the $5 chip, grabbed one of the many $100 chips on Jordan’s side of the table, and gave it to her. Then he said, “That’s how we tip in Las Vegas, Michael.”
While planning his comeback in Las Vegas in 2007, Michael Jackson…
While planning his comeback in Las Vegas in 2007, Michael Jackson wanted to build a 50 foot tall robot replica of himself that would roam the desert under the flight paths of incoming planes, shooting lasers out of its eyes in order to get the attention of the tourists flying into the city.
During the 1950s, the U.S. military tested nuclear weapons so close…
During the 1950s, the U.S. military tested nuclear weapons so close to Las Vegas, that you could clearly see the mushroom clouds from downtown Hotels. This became a temporary tourist attraction.
Around 1,000 homeless people live in flood tunnels…
Around 1,000 homeless people live in flood tunnels under Las Vegas.