What happens in Vegas ... well, you understand the rest. But here are 24 truths about Sin City you likely have not heard.
1. The majority of Vegas' renowned hotels aren't technically located in the city of Las Vegas. A great part of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the well known "Invite to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign-- are really situated in an unincorporated town called Paradise, Nevada.
2. One destination that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the large neon cowboy that administers over downtown's famed Fremont Street. It's the biggest mechanical neon indication in the world.
3. More than 41 million visitors cycle through Sin City each year ...
4. ... So it's a good idea the town boasts 14 of the world's 20 greatest hotels.
5. There's so much real estate for travelers to benefit from, it would take an individual 288 years to invest a night in every hotel room in the city.
6. There's a secret city beneath the city. Miles of tunnels-- initially built to safeguard the desert town from flash floods-- home hundreds of homeless homeowners.
7. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino got its name from founder-- and famous mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's sweetheart. Actress Virginia Hill passed the label "The Flamingo" because of her red hair and long, thin legs.
8. In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas had its own set of inequitable 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. Even legendary entertainers like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole were required to enter and exit the places in which they were performing through back entrances and side entranceways. In 1952, acting legend Sammy Davis Jr. took a dip in the whites-only swimming pool at the New Frontier Hotel & Gambling Establishment. Later on, the manager had it drained.
9. In May 1955, the Moulin Rouge made history when it became the city's first interracial gambling establishment. Famous boxer Joe Louis, a part owner, declared, "This isn't the opening of a Las Vegas hotel. It's history."
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Las Vegas was known for putting on a different type of show. Las Vegas' Chamber of Commerce saw a moneymaking chance, and chose to distribute calendars advertising detonation times and choice viewing places.
Famous recluse Howard Hughes checked into the strip's Desert Inn on Thanksgiving Day 1966, renting the whole leading 2 floorings. When he overstayed his 10-day booking, he was asked to leave.
12. FedEx creator Frederick W. Smith saved the shipment business with a journey to Vegas. In 1974-- 3 years after he developed the business-- the Yale graduate took the endeavor's last $5,000 and turned it into $32,000 with a weekend of blackjack. His, er, gamble provided the company enough cash to stay afloat.
13. Do not disturb: Vegas has more unlisted phone numbers than any other city in the United States.
Nevada law specifies that video slot machines must pay back a minimum of 75 percent of the loan transferred on average. (Though it's worth keeping in mind that in New Jersey, house to betting mecca Atlantic City, it's 83 percent.).
15. It takes roughly 10 minutes to snatch a marriage license at the bureau in downtown Las Vegas, which is open every day from 8 a.m. up until midnight. No wonder some 10,000 couples wed in the city each 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-- integrated.
17. The half-scale design of the Eiffel Tower, situated outside Paris Las Vegas, was originally planned to be full-size, but due to the close distance of the airport-- simply 3 miles-- it needed to be shrunk down. In contrast, the Luxor Las Vegas' Sphinx is actually bigger than the initial Terrific Sphinx of Giza.
18. At 50 lots, the bronze lion outside the MGM Grand Hotel is believed to be the largest bronze sculpture in the western hemisphere.
19. The distinctive gold color of the windows at the Mirage Hotel comes from actual gold dust.
20. There are 3933 guest spaces at Bellagio Las Vegas-- more than the number of residents in the city of Bellagio, Italy.
21. Not into gambling establishments? The city likewise includes a heavy equipment playground where construction enthusiasts can drive around bulldozers for fun.
22. Prior to his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was checking out doing a Vegas residency. He prepared to promote 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 garb and clients can buy an 8000-calorie quadruple bypass hamburger with a side of flatliner french fries. (Fried in pure lard!) Sadly, in 2013, one of the spot's routine clients passed away ... from an see it here apparent heart attack.
24. From outer area, the Las Vegas Strip looks like the brightest spot on Earth. Who cares if it's not actually in Las Vegas?
Most of Vegas' renowned hotels aren't technically situated in the city of Las Vegas. A good portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the renowned "Invite to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign-- are actually situated in an unincorporated area called Paradise, Nevada.
One tourist attraction that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the oversized neon cowboy that administers over downtown's famous Fremont Street. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino got its name from creator-- and famous mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's girlfriend. In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas possessed its own set of discriminatory Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service tasks-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's casinos and hotels.