Everyone knows Las Vegas for its opulence, its sheer scale, and of course, the world famous casino industry. But where did this city come from? How and when did it all begin? Read on, for a brief history of Las Vegas !
Although Las Vegas was established in 1905, it was still a dry, barren and dessert town in 1911. People mostly came to the town on account of massive railroad works and Vegas were actually a popular rail road town. However, the town lacked character, appeal and was just a small and dusty town.
All this changed in 1920, when the first casino was founded in Vegas. This paved the way for Vegas to become not only the most populous city in the state of Nevada, but the gambling capital of the entire world. By the 1940s several casinos had sprung up, and this industry owned it success to the American organised crime syndicate, aka, the ‘mob’. Names like Bugsy Siegal and Meyer Lansky spring to mind.
The 1960s saw a major shift of power from the mob to legitimate federal power. Today, Las Vegas has come a long way from its dusty beginnings. Although it has recently been surpassed by Macau in gambling revenues, it is still one of the largest and most spectacular entertainment destinations in the world.