Image: Wiki Commons by Edward N. Edstrom
About This Quiz
There's more to Las Vegas than the 12 million lights that make the Strip visible from outer space. For every dollar gambled at the city's casinos, there's a historical tidbit that's worth more than gold. Travel back to the Old Mormon Fort and walk your way into today to see how much you know about it. Out of 35 questions, how many will you wager you'll get right?
You don't need to belly up to the blackjack table to know your Vegas stuff! All you need to have is a real love for American history and a fascination with the city's unique culture. As you go through this quiz, you'll have to read the questions carefully. With so many mobsters, casinos and a birth like no other town, it can be easy to place your chips on the wrong response. No matter how much you already know, you'll break even in the end.Â
From the Hotel Nevada to the MGM Grand, Las Vegas has more to offer than most places. It's easy to forget that the town rose out of nowhere into the thriving hotspot that it is now. Challenge yourself to get all the questions right, but remember what happens there stays there. Will you do as well as you think you'll do?Â
Cheyenne Avenue
Fremont Street
With the first fort, the first railway stop and the first hotel, Fremont Street has a legacy all its own. Located only a few minutes from the now-famous Strip, it has been transformed into an area called Old Las Vegas.
Craig Road
Charleston Boulevard
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Bugsy Siegel
After burning all his bridges in New York and Chicago, Bugsy Siegel set out to rebrand himself in Las Vegas. Named after his dancer girlfriend, he used plenty of mob money to open the Flamingo.
Al Capone
Lucky Luciano
Eliot Ness
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Prostitution
Gambling
Now incorporated for 20 years, Las Vegas officials set out to regulate some of the activities already taking place in the area. In 1931, laws that kept gambling illegal were lifted and a new era of Vegas was born.
Drinking
Bartering
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Jupiter Lounge
Saturn Speakeasy
Mars Cafe
Venus Room
Along with Sinatra, Elvis' stardom helped to shape Las Vegas into being the self-proclaimed Entertainment Capital of the World." His first performance there took place in 1956 in the Venus Room area of the New Frontier hotel.
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LED
Incandescent
Neon
One of the most iconic Vegas images, Vegas Vic is one of the largest animated signs in the world. Since 1951, his neon lights welcome visitors to the older part of the city. He was the first non-typeface neon sign to light up the old Strip.
Halogen
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Extraterrestrial Highway
Las Vegas Boulevard
The Meadows Way
Highway 91
As Glitter Gulch kept expanding, Highway 91 became the next logical place to start building more casinos. Home to more than 12 million lights these days, you can see the famous Strip from space.
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Hotel Nevada
With railroad workers needing a place to stay, it only made sense that hotels began to be built on the line. The first, the Hotel Nevada, was built in 1906. It eventually became the first casino when it was turned into the Golden Gate in the 1930s.
The Sands
Caesar's Palace
Bellagio
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The Supremes
The Rat Pack
Frank Sinatra had been performing in Las Vegas for nearly a decade before the rest of the Rat Pack joined him. Over four weeks during 1960, 34,000 people came to see them live at The Sands.
The Temptations
The Beatles
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Lake Las Vegas
River Mountains Loop Trail
Boulder Dam
Hoover Dam
Every year, over seven million people visit the Hoover Dam that sits approximately 30 miles from the Vegas strip. During construction, workers raised the population of the small town from 5,000 to 25,000 citizens.
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Al Capone
Bugsy Siegal
Frank Costello
By 1957, mobsters were using legitimate funding sources like Wall Street. Up until Frank Costello was shot with a ledger in his pocket, the police had little proof of their illicit activities.
Meyer Lansky
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Sin City
City of Lights
The Strip
Glitter Gulch
Once major hotel-casinos were starting to define Fremont Street and merchants were taking advantage of cheap hydroelectric power, the area began to glow at night. In 1946, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce nicknamed it "Glitter Gulch."
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Mojave
Nevada is situated in the American southwestern region, which is home to four deserts. The city of Las Vegas sits just 58 miles from the Mojave desert, and it's considered an oasis.
Sonoran
Great Basin
Chihuahuan
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The Strat
Circus Circus
El Rancho Vegas
The Hotel Nevada was the first hotel opened in Las Vegas, but it didn't offer gambling until it became the Golden Gate. The El Rancho Vegas was built in 1941 and became the town's first-ever licensed hotel-casino combo. It's still in operation today.
Treasure Island
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The Desert
The Flowers
The Sagebrush
The Meadows
Las Vegas might be known as the City of Lights, Sin City and the Entertainment Capital of the World. Its name means "The Meadows," though. When Mexican explorers discovered it in 1824, it was nothing more than flat land with a few natural springs.
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Scientologist
Mormon
Around 1855, Mormon leader Brigham Young wanted to expand outposts in the Southwest. In addition to settling in San Bernardino, California, the area that's now known as Las Vegas was also chosen.
Amish
Mennonite
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Fountain of the Gods
Caesars Palace Gardens
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
One of the things that drew Mormon settlers to Las Vegas was a natural source of water. A small creek allowed settlers to irrigate fields, and the 150-square foot Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort was erected. You can still see it in the downtown area.
John Louis Statue
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Farming
Medicine
Railroad
Although the Mormons eventually abandoned their settlement in Las Vegas, the railroad industry brought life to the area again in 1905. The Las Vegas and Tonopah built 150 buildings and created a stop there.
Textiles
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1906
1910
Now with a railway stop and hotels, Las Vegas had grown enough to become a fully functioning town. In 1910, lawmakers made it official by incorporating the town. No one could have predicted how large it would become!
1905
1901
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Meyer Lansky
Siegel was shunned by many, but long-time partner Meyer Lansky had no fear of following him to Vegas. After Siegel's untimely demise, he and other crime family members fulfilled Siegel's vision for the city by going on to build casinos like Caesar's Palace and The Tropicana.
Henry Hill
Al Capone
Frank Sinatra
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True
False
To this day, no one knows who is responsible for the 1947 murder of Bugsy Siegel. Rumors still abound about the possibilities, and one popular attraction tells a tale that still leaves minds wondering what really happened.
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Marquee Cinemas
El Portal
In 1928, the El Portal Theatre was built on the former site of Fremont Street's Airdome. In addition to being the first theatre in the city, it was also the first air-conditioned building.
Boxtop Theater
Maggie's Movies
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1931
1905
1941
1959
No trip to Las Vegas is complete without a picture at the original welcome sign. Made from steel, it stands less than a mile from major casinos. Each one of its circles is said to represent a silver dollar because Nevada's nickname is the Silver State.
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Stanley Kubrick
Robert Wise
Howard Hughes
When Howard Hughes breezed into town in 1966, he landed with a keen interest in mind. First, he purchased the Desert Inn; then, he continued with his streak by buying up the Sands, the Frontier and the Landmark.
Billy Wilder
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The Golden Nugget
The Cromwell Hotel
The Bellagio
Caesar's Palace
In the very early days, servers and greeters at Caesar's Palace were told to say, "I'm your slave." That is no longer a practice, and the legendary Vegas hot spot now has 3,300 rooms and a theater that seats almost 4,300.
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Frank Sinatra
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was not a member of the Rat Pack, but he was also one of Vegas' favorite performers. You can follow Elvis and Priscilla's lead and marry with few restrictions in Vegas. If you choose, you can have an Elvis impersonator officiate your nuptials.
Jerry Lee Lewis
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A canopy
When you look up on Fremont Street, you'll see the world's largest single video screen. Called a barrel canopy and boasting a 1,500 x 90-foot screen, the unique feature got a $32 million makeover in 2019.
The sky
Lanterns
Streamers
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Elvis Presley
Siegfried and Roy
After the glamour of the '60s faded, investors were looking for new ways to attract crowds. Newcomers Siegfried and Roy began performing at the Tropicana. Their illusions and their tigers started an entertainment revolution on the Strip.
Merv Griffin
Blue Man Group
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More hydroelectric power
An international airport terminal
Before adding an international terminal to McCarran Field into a major air hub, it was a lot of hard work to arrive in Vegas. The addition of the terminal made the city more accessible to visitors from around the world.
Luxury accommodations
Sewer improvements
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LED lights
Sidewalks
Bike lanes
Paved streets
Before 1925, the dusty, unpaved streets in Las Vegas looked exactly like something out of the Wild West. Once they were paved, it added an air of sophistication that helped move Fremont Street forward.
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Luxor
Mirage
Coming in at $630 million, Steve Wynn's decision to build the Mirage was quite the gamble. The first of Vegas hotels to feature fountains, top chefs and glamour to the hilt, it set the stage for the Vegas we know today.
Lucky Dragon
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
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Harrah's
The Sahara
Excalibur
Hot on the heels of Steve Wynn's success with the Mirage, other investors decided to take advantage of the upswing by marketing towards families. The Excalibur's grandeur and all-age activities are still a hallmark of the city.
Treasure Island
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Artisan Hotel and Boutique
The Golden Gate
El Rancho Las Vegas
Bellagio
The Bellagio's construction totaled $88 million, and its famous fountains were only a portion of it. Every 15-30 minutes, they erupt into an aquatic symphony that tourists cannot resist.
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The Stratosphere
The Golden Gate
The Flamingo
Fremont Hotel Casino
Built by Sam Levinson, Fremont Street rose to new heights when the Fremont Hotel Casino came into town. Small by today's standards, it's still in operation and boasts 447 rooms that are ideal for an old Las Vegas experience.
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The Golden Gate
The Flamingo
The Sands
The Barrel House Beer Garden
The Barrel House Beer Garden hosted nightly orchestras and drew large crowds. With prohibition in full swing, the owners decided to cut a hole in the wall so that patrons could order food from the next restaurant over. If you were lucky, you could impress the owner and be served a drink, too.
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Red Light Lane
Block 16
Located only one block from Fremont Street, Block 16 was established in 1941. The brothels did well until the U.S. Air Force opened and decided that it needed to be shut down to keep airmen out of trouble.
El Portal
Hotel Nevada
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You Got:
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