After multiple failed developments, the Charles Pop-owned site was sold and the Flamingo Hotel and Casino were erected in 1946 by Bugsy Siegel. Siegel was particularly drawn to Las Vegas in 1945 thanks to his keen interest in legalized gambling and off-track betting. He bought the El Cortez hotel for $600,000 and sold it for a $166,000 profit.
Thanks to this money and a little help from his buddies in organized crime, Siegel took over the Flamingo Hotel project. It was the first luxury hotel in the area and was supposedly named after Siegel’s girlfriend Virginia Hill who was nicknamed “Flamingo.” Why flamingo? Because she had flaming hair and legs that supposedly went on for miles.
Nevada Explosions
Aside from roaring parties in hotels and casinos, Nevada was also a test site for nuclear explosions. In case we forget, there was a military base there too! The test pictured here was conducted on July 5, 1956, and tested the explosion of a 75-kiloton device from a balloon.
From 1951 to 1992, the United States government carried out a whopping 1,021 nuclear tests in Nevada. 100 were done in the air and 921 were conducted underground. The government even set up special places to test nuclear rockets and ramjet engines. That’s quite a history of scientific exploration alongside the pleasures of Vegas.
Sinatra Owned a Casino
When Sinatra's career was going through a rough patch and only the casinos run by the mob were willing to host him, he started performing in Las Vegas. Sinatra's luck turned in 1952 when he nabbed an Oscar for his role in “From Here to Eternity.” The victory was a win for both him and Las Vegas.
Whenever Sinatra stepped onto the stage of a Vegas hotel, the crowds flocked in. Las Vegas became his playground. He was even more involved than you might think, holding a 2 percent stake in the Sands hotel. Sinatra was the ideal casino owner because he was an avid gambler himself! Here we can see him dealing in baccarat at the Sands Casino in 1959.
Louis Prima With His Wife and Musical Partner Keely Smith
The Louisiana native, Louis Prima AKA "the King of Swing" was a popular entertainer in Vegas lounges in the '50s. The trumpeter even moved there with his wife, Keely Smith. Success came calling for Prima during the roaring 1920s when he rocked the stage with a seven-piece New Orleans crew. The maestro moved and grooved with the times.
The 1930s saw him leading a swing combo and by the 1940s, he was conducting a full-blown big band. But here's where it gets really interesting: in the 1950s, he swapped his big band vibes for a swanky lounge band that lit up the Las Vegas nights. The club in which he performed was constantly packed. Prima was even invited by Sinatra to perform at Kennedy's inauguration party.
The First Ocean's Eleven
Las Vegas was home to many iconic film productions, most notably, the heist film "Ocean's Eleven." Filming took place in 1959 and starred Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Angie Dickinson. Although the movie oozed "cool" in every frame, people shrugged it off as a fancy home movie for the Rat Pack.
After all, they shot this flick while juggling their nightly gigs at the glamorous Sands Hotel. The movie had all sorts of inside jokes that only the pack would get. What's more, a good chunk of the script wasn't even scripted! The Rat Pack, being the nonchalant trailblazers they were, just went with the flow and improvised their way through scenes.