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' iconic hotels aren't technically situated in the city of Las Vegas. A good portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the renowned "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" indication-- are really situated in an unincorporated township called Paradise, Nevada.
2. One tourist attraction that is within Las Vegas city limitations: Vegas Vic, the oversized neon cowboy that presides over downtown's renowned Fremont Street. It's the largest mechanical neon sign 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 biggest hotels.
5. There's so much property for travelers to take advantage of, it would take a person 288 years to invest a night in every hotel room in the city.
6. There's a secret city underneath the city. Miles of tunnels-- initially constructed to protect the desert town from flash floods-- house numerous homeless residents.
7. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino got its name from creator-- and legendary mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's sweetheart. Starlet Virginia Hill passed the nickname "The Flamingo" since of her red hair and long, thin legs.
In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas possessed its own set of prejudiced Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service tasks-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's hotels and gambling establishments. In 1952, acting legend Sammy Davis Jr. took a dip in the whites-only swimming pool at the New Frontier Hotel & Casino.
9. In May 1955, the Moulin Rouge made history when it ended up being the city's very first interracial gambling establishment. Famous fighter Joe Louis, a part owner, stated, "This isn't really the opening of a Las Vegas hotel. It's history."
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 decided to distribute calendars promoting detonation times and choice viewing locations.
Famous recluse Howard Hughes inspected into the strip's Desert Inn on Thanksgiving Day 1966, renting the entire top two floors. When he overstayed his 10-day reservation, he was asked to leave.
12. FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith saved the delivery business with a journey to Vegas. In 1974-- 3 years after he developed the business-- the Yale grad took the venture's last $5,000 and turned it into $32,000 with a weekend of blackjack. His, er, gamble provided the company enough cash to survive.
13. Do not disturb: Vegas has more unlisted phone numbers than any other city in the United States.
14. Need to hope? Nevada law states that video fruit machine must pay back a minimum of 75 percent of the cash deposited on average. (Though it's worth noting that in New Jersey, home to gambling mecca 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. till midnight. No marvel some 10,000 couples wed in the city monthly.
16. Let them consume ... shrimp cocktails? More than 60,000 pounds of the shellfish are consumed in the city each day. That's greater than the remainder of the nation-- combined.
17. The half-scale model of the Eiffel Tower, situated outside Paris Las Vegas, was initially prepared to be full-size, but due to the close proximity of the airport-- just 3 miles-- it had actually to be diminished down. In contrast, the Luxor Las Vegas' Sphinx is actually bigger than the initial Excellent Sphinx of Giza.
18. At 50 heaps, the bronze lion outside this company the MGM Grand Hotel is thought to be the biggest bronze sculpture in the western hemisphere.
19. The distinct 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 variety of citizens in the city of Bellagio, Italy.
21. Not into casinos? The city also includes a heavy devices play area where construction lovers can drive around bulldozers for enjoyable.
22. Before his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was looking into doing a Vegas residency. He prepared to promote it with a 50-foot robot-likeness of himself that would roam the Nevada desert.
At Vegas restaurant Heart Attack Grill, waitresses dress in nurses garb and clients can purchase an 8000-calorie quadruple bypass burger with a side of flatliner fries. In 2013, one of the area's routine patrons passed away ... from an evident heart attack.
24. From deep 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' renowned hotels aren't technically located in the city of Las Vegas. A good part of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the well known "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" indication-- are really located in an unincorporated municipality called Paradise, Nevada.
One destination that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the extra-large neon cowboy that presides over downtown's renowned 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 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.