Exactly what takes place in Vegas ... well, you know the rest. Here are 24 realities about Sin City you likely haven't heard.
1. Many of Vegas' iconic hotels aren't technically situated in the city of Las Vegas. An excellent portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the renowned "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" indication-- are actually located in an unincorporated municipality called Paradise, Nevada.
2. One destination that is within Las Vegas city limits: Vegas Vic, the large neon cowboy that administers over downtown's well known Fremont Street. It's the biggest mechanical neon check in the world.
3. More than 41 million visitors cycle through Sin City each year ...
4. ... So it's a great thing the town boasts 14 of the world's 20 greatest hotels.
5. There's so much real estate for tourists to benefit from, it would take a person 288 years to spend a night in every hotel space in the city.
6. There's a secret city below the city. Miles of tunnels-- originally constructed to protect the desert town from flash floods-- house numerous homeless homeowners.
7. The strip's Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino got its name from creator-- and legendary mobster-- Bugsy Siegel's girlfriend. Starlet Virginia Hill went by the label "The Flamingo" because of her red hair and long, thin legs.
In the mid-20th century, Las Vegas had its own set of discriminatory Jim Crow laws, which-- with the exception of low-wage service jobs-- kept African Americans out of the growing city's hotels and casinos. In 1952, acting legend Sammy Davis Jr. took a dip in the whites-only swimming pool at the New Frontier Hotel & Casino.
In May 1955, the Moulin Rouge made history when it became the city's first interracial casino. Famous fighter Joe Louis, a part owner, stated, "This isn't really the opening of a Las Vegas hotel.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Las Vegas was understood for putting on a different type of show. Las Vegas' Chamber of Commerce saw a moneymaking opportunity, and decided to distribute calendars advertising detonation times and option watching areas.
11. Famous recluse Howard Hughes inspected into the strip's Desert Inn on Thanksgiving Day 1966, leasing the entire top 2 floorings. When he overstayed his 10-day appointment, he was asked to leave. Instead, he started settlements to purchase the 715-room area. His purchase was total 3 months later on.
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 graduate took the endeavor's last $5,000 and turned it into $32,000 with a weekend of blackjack.
13. Do not disrupt: Vegas has more unlisted phone numbers than any other city in the United States.
Nevada law mentions that video slot makers need to pay back a minimum of 75 percent of the cash deposited on average. (Though it's worth noting that in New Jersey, house to betting capital Atlantic City, it's 83 percent.).
15. It takes approximately 10 minutes to snatch a marriage license at the bureau in downtown Las Vegas, which is open every day from 8 a.m. until midnight. Not surprising that 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 nation-- integrated.
17. The half-scale model of the Eiffel Tower, located outside Paris Las Vegas, was originally prepared to be full-size, but due to the close proximity of the airport-- just 3 miles-- it needed to be shrunk down. In contrast, the Luxor Las Vegas' Sphinx is in fact bigger than the initial Fantastic Sphinx of Giza.
18. At 50 tons, the bronze lion outside the MGM Grand Hotel is believed to be the biggest bronze sculpture in the western hemisphere.
19. The unique gold color of the windows at the Mirage Hotel comes from actual gold dust.
20. There are 3933 guest rooms 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 equipment playground where construction lovers can drive around bulldozers for fun.
22. Before his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was checking out doing a Vegas residency. He planned to advertise it with a 50-foot robot-likeness of himself that would roam the Nevada desert.
23. At Vegas restaurant Cardiac arrest Grill, waitresses dress in nurses garb and clients can buy an 8000-calorie quadruple bypass burger with a side of flatliner fries. (Fried in pure lard!) Regrettably, in 2013, among the spot's routine customers passed away ... from an evident cardiac arrest.
24. From deep space, the Las Vegas Strip appears as the brightest spot on Earth. Who cares if it's not in fact in Las Vegas?
Most of Vegas' iconic hotels aren't technically situated in the city of Las Vegas. A great portion of the Las Vegas Strip-- and the renowned "Invite to click here Fabulous Las Vegas" sign-- are in fact situated in an unincorporated town called Paradise, Nevada.
One attraction that is within Las Vegas city limitations: Vegas Vic, the oversized neon cowboy that administers over downtown's well known 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 casinos and hotels.