The Las Vegas Strip is seen at dusk in August 2015. Las Vegas, aka "Sin City," is one of America's most beloved destinations.
U.S.
Updated 12:25 PM EST, Fri March 1, 2024
Editor's note: A new CNN series, "Vegas: The Story of Sin City," premiered on February 25. New episodes will air March 3, March 17 and March 24 at 10 p.m.
Las Vegas is one of America's most beloved cities, founded nearly 120 years ago.
The city hasn't stopped evolving since, thanks to an endless parade of showgirls, infamous mafia figures, visionary entrepreneurs and hopeful gamblers.
Small-time card games and slot machines soon gave way to the kind of betting volume that requires lots of Brinks trucks.
Visitors in the 1950s might have even seen a mushroom cloud in the distance as the United States conducted nuclear tests in the Nevada desert. And the smoke plumes haven't stopped, as older hotels and casinos are demolished to make way for even more astonishing structures.
Meanwhile, the entertainment acts grew ever more extravagant. Where else could you see Liberace and Elvis cut loose on the same stage, or witness a live leopard at a Siegfried and Roy show?
Eventually the kitsch gave way to bona fide glitz as performers such as Céline Dion, Britney Spears and Adele took up residencies, performing nightly for multimillion-dollar contracts.
More recently, the arrivals of Formula One, the Super Bowl and the Sphere prove there's always another act in Las Vegas.
A view of Las Vegas' Fremont Street at the beginning of the 20th century. The desert city, founded in 1905, would eventually transform into one of the entertainment capitals of the world.
Donkeys pull a supply wagon in Las Vegas circa 1905.
Las Vegas' business section, circa 1910.
People gamble around a wheel of fortune in 1935. In 1931, Nevada became the first state in the country to legalize gambling. The idea was to help the state recover from the effects of the Great Depression.
A woman stands in front of the New Western Casino and Boulder Club circa 1940. The Boulder Club was built in 1929 and received one of Las Vegas' first gambling permits. It closed in 1960.
A woman plays a game at the Golden Nugget casino in 1947.
Newlyweds William and Pat Rand run across the lawn to the Flamingo Hotel in 1950. Las Vegas became known as the "marriage capital of the world" due to the ease of obtaining a marriage license.
Las Vegas' Helldorado Days parade, seen here in 1952, celebrates the city's roots.
Women play slot machines in a crowded room at the Desert Inn casino in 1953.
Swimmers at the Last Frontier hotel look into the distance as a nuclear weapons test takes place far away in the Nevada desert on May 8, 1953. Some desert areas of Nevada were sites for nuclear bomb testing, which attracted curiosity from across the country.
Showgirls dance at a Las Vegas casino circa 1955.
Liberace, left, and Elvis Presley cut loose during a Las Vegas jam session in 1956.
Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald perform in Las Vegas in 1957.
A partial view of the Las Vegas Strip in 1958.
The famous group of entertainers known as the Rat Pack — from left, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop — pose outside the Sands casino in 1960.
People play in front of the Hacienda Hotel circa 1960.
Nat King Cole performs at the Sands in 1962.
A woman throws dice at a craps table in the 1960s.
The Beatles — from left, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon — visit Las Vegas in 1964. They played two shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
People gamble inside a Las Vegas swimming pool in 1965.
Wayne Newton performs at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in 1965. The singer's popularity earned him the nickname "Mr. Las Vegas."
The International Hotel's marquee advertises Presley, its headline performer, in 1969. Presley performed 57 shows, usually two a day, at the new hotel that summer. When it opened, it was the largest hotel in the world.
Presley performs at the International Hotel circa 1969. His return to the stage was highly anticipated after years of recording and acting in movies.
Dancers from the Hotel Tropicana get ready for a 1969 show celebrating the centennial of the original Folies Bergère, a music hall that opened in Paris in 1869.
Boxing icon Muhammad Ali attends the weigh-in for his fight with Joe Bugner in 1973. Las Vegas became known for hosting marquee fights, and the tradition carries on today with mixed martial arts.
The Dunes Hotel is seen in the foreground, with the MGM Grand behind it in 1973. The Las Vegas skyline is always changing and evolving.
The Jackson 5 performs at the MGM Grand in 1974.
People walk near the intersection of the Las Vegas Strip and Riviera Boulevard in 1975.
Magicians Siegfried and Roy, seen here in their dressing room with one of their leopards in 1978, had one of the most successful shows in Las Vegas.
Liberace takes a bubble bath during a CBS television special that aired in 1978. The Las Vegas icon performed in the city for many years.
The Las Vegas Strip in 1984. Vegas went through a period of transition in the 1970s and 1980s, taking a more corporate, business-centered approach with the arrival of real estate moguls such as Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian and Steve Wynn.
People play slot machines at the Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas in 1994.
Lennox Lewis raises his arms after the final round of his heavyweight title bout with Evander Holyfield in 1999. The judges ruled it a draw, and the decision was highly controversial as most felt that Lewis had won. Lewis would later win a rematch by unanimous decision.
A layer of smog is visible over the Las Vegas Strip at dusk circa 2001.
Tourists watch the fountain display at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in 2002.
Eligiusz Skoczylas, left, and Paul Cameron — two stars of the Cirque du Soleil show "Mystère" — play backgammon backstage in 2004.
An electric company worker changes ballasts and lamps on the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign in 2005. The famous sign, a historic landmark, is south of the Las Vegas Strip.
Justin Shandor checks his wig before participating in an Elvis lookalike contest in 2006.
The New Frontier, one of the oldest hotels and casinos on the Strip, is imploded in 2007. Behind it are two of the newer Wynn resorts.
Cars drive down the Las Vegas Strip in 2011 as the city was recovering from a record two-year drop in gambling and conventions. The country's recession in 2008 had a major impact on Las Vegas tourism.
People ride a gondola at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in 2012.
Céline Dion celebrates her 1,000th show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2016. Las Vegas has hosted residencies for many top performers over the years, including Dolly Parton, Cher, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Elton John and Adele.
A man writes a note on a Vegas Strong banner in 2017. Days earlier, dozens of people were killed and hundreds were injured when a gunman opened fire at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. It is the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
People ride a zip line above Fremont Street in 2020.
Showgirls walk near the Paris casino, which was hosting a Democratic presidential debate in 2020.
A worker cleans a pedestrian walkway, which was devoid of the usual crowds because of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Moulin Rouge sign is re-illuminated during a private event at The Neon Museum Boneyard in 2020. The Moulin Rouge hotel and casino closed in October 1955 after only six months of operation. It was themed after the Moulin Rouge in Paris and was the first hotel casino in Las Vegas to be desegregated. It also had the first line of Black dancers.
People watch the volcano show at The Mirage hotel in 2022.
Players compete in the main event of the World Series of Poker in 2022.
Lance Stroll drives by the Sphere in Las Vegas during a Formula One practice session in 2023. The new race took drivers through the Las Vegas Strip and other streets in the city.
Fans watch the Super Bowl at a Las Vegas casino in 2024. The game was being played nearby at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
