Events in Las Vegas History
- 1905-05-15 Las Vegas founded in Nevada
Johnson vs Flynn
1912-07-04 Jack Johnson beats "Fireman" Jim Flynn by disqualification in 9 in Las Vegas to retain world heavyweight boxing title
- 1946-12-26 Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas opens (start of an era)
- 1953-07-01 KLAS TV channel 8 in Las Vegas, NV (CBS) begins broadcasting
- 1955-01-23 KORK (now KVBC) TV channel 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada (NBC) 1st broadcast
- 1957-09-19 1st underground nuclear explosion at Las Vegas Nevada
Streisand Opens for Liberace
1963-07-30 American singer Barbra Streisand opens for pianist Liberace at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
Ali vs. Patterson
1965-11-22 In his second title defense, Muhammad Ali scores 12th-round KO of Floyd Patterson at Las Vegas Convention Center to retain his world heavyweight boxing championship
- 1966-08-15 Puerto Rican champion José Torres beats American Eddie Cotton on points in Las Vegas to retain the WBC/WBA light-heavyweight boxing title
- 1967-09-10 KVVU TV channel 5 in Henderson-Las Vegas, NV (IND) begins broadcasting
Evel Knievel Fails Jump
1967-12-31 Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump the Caesar's Palace Fountain, Las Vegas, breaking his pelvis, femur, wrist, hip and both ankles
- 1968-03-25 KLVX TV channel 10 in Las Vegas, NV (PBS) begins broadcasting
- 1968-10-18 Circus Circus hotel opens in Las Vegas, largest permanent big top in the world
- 1973-02-14 Muhammad Ali beats British heavyweight boxing champion Joe Bugner by unanimous points decision in 12 rounds at Las Vegas Convention Centre
Foreman vs. Lyle
1976-01-24 Former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman KOs Ron Lyle in 5th round at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas; Foreman knocked down twice in 4th; 'The Ring' Fight of the Year
Durán vs. De Jesus
1978-01-21 Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán becomes undisputed world lightweight champion with a 12th-round TKO of Esteban De Jesus at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; defends his WBA title for 12th time, also takes De Jesus’ WBC title
Boxing Title Fight
1980-03-31 Almost concurrent heavyweight boxing championship fights: Larry Holmes TKOs Leroy Jones in 8 for WBC title in Las Vegas, NV whilst Mike Weaver KOs John Tate in 15 for WBA belt in Knoxville, TN
- 1980-10-02 38-year-old Muhammad Ali comes out of a two-year retirement to challenge undefeated world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Ali is pounded unmercifully for ten rounds before his corner throws in the towel.
- 1980-11-21 Fire at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas kills 84
- 1981-02-10 8 killed & 198 injured by fire at Las Vegas Hilton
Sports History
1981-05-23 Puerto Rican boxer Wilfred Benítez (22) becomes the youngest 3-division world champion in history by knocking out WBC World Super Welterweight champion Maurice Hope in 12 rounds in Las Vegas
F1 World Champion
1981-10-17 Brazilian Nelson Piquet driving for Brabham finishes 5th in the season ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Carlos Reutemann
- 1981-11-14 In the first world championship fight between 2 Puerto Ricans in boxing history, WBC Super Welterweight champion Wilfred Benitez beats Carlos Santos in a 15-round unanimous decision at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
- 1982-01-30 WBC super welterweight champion Wilfred Benitez of Puerto Rico defeats boxing legend Roberto Durán of Panama in a 15-round unanimous decision at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
- 1982-09-25 Keke Rosberg becomes the first Fin to win the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship when he finishes 5th in season ending Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas; wins by 5 points from Didier Pironi
Sports History
1982-11-13 WBA lightweight champion Ray Mancini beats South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim by TKO in 14th round in Las Vegas; Kim collapses, falls into a coma and dies 4 days later; as a result, WBC shortens title bouts to 12 rounds; WBA & WBO follow in 1988, and IBF in 1989
- 1982-11-18 South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim dies from injuries sustained during a 14-round beating by Ray Mancini in Las Vegas; WBC shortens title bouts to 12 rounds; WBA and WBO follow in 1988, and IBF in 1989
Doakes vs. Weaver
1982-12-10 Heavyweight Michael Doakes KOs Mike Weaver in 1:03 in Las Vegas
- 1983-04-07 WIBC Championship Tournament in Las Vegas, attracts 75,480 women bowlers for 83-day event
- 1983-05-20 American heavyweight boxer Larry Holmes beats countryman Tim Witherspoon by split decision to retain his WBC title at the Dunes Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
- 1983-11-10 'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler retains world middleweight boxing title with a 15-round unanimous points decision over Roberto Durán at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; first time Hagler taken the distance as champion
- 1984-01-04 Adrian Dantley ties Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for most free throws made in a game by converting 28 of 29 free throws in Utah's 116-111 win over Houston at Las Vegas
- 1984-02-04 Frank Aquilera sets world frisbee distance record (168m) Las Vegas
- 1984-06-15 American boxer Thomas Hearns retains WBC light middleweight title with 2 round KO of Roberto Durán of Panama at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas; marks first time in his illustrious career Durán knocked out
- 1985-01-02 Nevada Las Vegas basketball gives coach Jerry Tarkanian his 600th career victory with a 142-140 win over Utah State in triple overtime; total of 282 points breaks NCAA men's record of 275 set in 1976
Tyson Youngest Heavyweight
1986-11-22 20-year-old Mike Tyson becomes youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he stops titleholder Trevor Berbick in round 2 at Las Vegas Hilton to earn the WBC title
- 1987-08-01 Mike Tyson outpoints Tony Tucker in 12 rounds in a heavyweight boxing unification matchup in Las Vegas; first to own all 3 major belts WBA, WBC and IBF simultaneously
- 1990-09-10 Hard Rock Cafe opens in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1992-11-09 Howard Stern's radio show begins broadcast in Las Vegas Nevada (KFBI)
Bowe vs. Holyfield
1992-11-13 Riddick Bowe wins the undisputed world heavyweight boxing crown with a unanimous points decision over Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas; first of their 3 meetings
- 1992-11-18 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Las Vegas NV on KXTE 107.5 FM
WrestleMania
1993-04-04 WrestleMania IX, Caesar's Palace, LV, NV: Yokozuna beats Bret Hart for WWF Heavyweight title
- 1994-01-29 Frankie Randall beats Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez by split decision to win WBC super lightweight title at MGM Grand, Las Vegas; Chavez's 1st knockdown of career in 11th and 1st loss in 91 pro fights
- 1995-04-22 George Foreman beats Axel Schulz in 12 for heavyweight boxing title in Las Vegas
- 1995-07-08 1st CFL game between 2 US teams, Las Vegas Posse vs Sacramento Gold
- 1996-04-05 John Bobbitt is put under house arrest in Las Vegas for 120 days
Music History
1996-09-07 Rap artist Tupac Shakur shot multiple times in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas, dies 6 days later
Holyfield vs. Tyson
1996-11-09 Evander Holyfield upsets Mike Tyson in 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas to regain WBA heavyweight boxing title; second boxer, after Muhammad Ali, to win a heavyweight title 3 times
Radio Station Dangles $5m
1998-02-11 KVBC-FM (Las Vegas) offers Monica Lewinsky $5m for an exclusive tell-all, she ignores the request
- 1998-03-01 Mark Martin drives his Ford Taurus to victory in the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Martin finishes 1.6 seconds ahead of teammate Jeff Burton
US Victory
2000-11-25 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Las Vegas, Nevada: Lindsay Davenport beats Conchita Martínez of Spain 6-1, 6-2 to give US an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends, 5-0) and record extending 17th title
- 2003-03-01 World light heavyweight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. wins a unanimous decision against champion John Ruiz to capture the WBA heavyweight crown in Las Vegas
- 2004-11-27 Marco Antonio Barrera beats Erik Morales by majority decision to win WBC super featherweight boxing title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas; final fight of legendary trilogy; The Ring's 'Fight of the Year'
- 2005-08-05 NBA announces Las Vegas will host the 2007 All Star game; first time event will be held in a city without an NBA team
56th NBA All-Star Game
2007-02-18 56th NBA All-Star Game, Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, NV: West beats East, 153-132; MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F
- 2015-01-17 American boxer Deontay Wilder wins the WBC heavyweight championship by unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas; Wilder first American to hold a heavyweight title since Shannon Briggs in 2007
Music History
2015-05-21 Flavor Flav is arrested near Las Vegas on charges including speeding and driving under the influence
- 2015-10-13 First Democratic presidential candidates debate, broadcast by CNN and held in Las Vegas, Nevada
McGregor vs. Aldo
2015-12-13 Irishman Conor McGregor knocks out Brazilian Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to win his 1st featherweight title in Las Vegas
- 2015-12-15 Fifth Republican presidential candidates debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 2016-06-22 NHL owners meeting unanimously approves the Las Vegas expansion bid to start play in the 2017-18 season.
Election of Interest
2016-10-19 Third US Presidential debate: Donald Trump notably refuses to say if he will accept the result of election during debate with Hillary Clinton at Nevada University, Las Vegas
- 2016-11-22 'Vegas Golden Knights' is revealed as the Las Vegas NHL expansion team's name
Sports History
2017-08-27 Former five-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeats MMA fighter Conor McGregor in his debut match in the 10th round in Las Vegas
- 2017-10-01 Stephen Paddock shoots dead 58 people, injuring 489, at a concert in Las Vegas in the deadliest mass shooting in American history
Gaga's Vegas Deal
2017-12-20 Lady Gaga signs Las Vegas residency deal for $75m at MGM Park Theatre
- 2018-06-07 Stanley Cup Final, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV: Washington Capitals beat Las Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3 for a 4-1 series victory; first title in franchise history
Sports History
2018-09-15 Russian boxer Gennady Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) loses his first pro fight in record 20th title defense as well as undisputed world middleweight crown when outpointed by Mexican Canelo Álvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) in Las Vegas
- 2018-10-06 Khabib Nurmagomedov of Dagestan beats Irishman Conor McGregor by 4th round submission in UFC lightweight title fight in Las Vegas; instantly marred by ugly post-fight brawling incident; belt withheld pending investigation
Michelson vs. Woods
2018-11-23 Phil Mickelson claims $9m winner-takes-all prize in dramatic matchplay golf duel with Tiger Woods, finishing under floodlights in Las Vegas; match goes to 22nd hole before Mickelson sinks 4-foot putt for rich victory
- 2019-01-09 Car manufacturer Hyundai unveils a model of a proposed walking car, for first responders, in Las Vegas
- 2019-05-04 Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez unifies a trio of middleweight world titles in a close, unanimous decision over Daniel Jacobs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- 2019-07-06 Jorge Masvidal (34-13) sets a UFC record by needing just 5 seconds to KO Ben Askren (19-1, 1 NC) during their welterweight bout at UFC 239 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Famous People from Las Vegas
Bugsy Siegel (1906-1947)
1906-02-28 American gangster who built casinos in Las Vegas, born in Brooklyn, New York
Jack Kramer (1921-2009)
1921-08-01 American tennis player (Wimbledon 1947, US Open 1946, 47), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1923-10-15 Italo Calvino, Italian author (If on a Winter's Night a Traveler), born in Santiago de Las Vegas, Cuba (d. 1985)
- 1925-06-25 Robert Venturi, American architect (Vanna Venturi House) and theorist (inspired Postmodernism), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2018) [1]
Sheldon Adelson (1933-2021)
1933-08-04 American business magnate (CEO of Las Vegas Sands casino company) and major political donor to the GOP and Israel, born in Boston, Massachusetts [1]
- 1935-08-15 Abby Dalton, American actress (Joey Bishop Show), born in Las Vegas, Nevada (d. 2020)
Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005)
1937-07-18 American journalist and author (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- 1938-05-19 James Bilbray, American lawyer and politician (Rep-D-Nevada 1987-95), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1938-11-12 Mort Shuman, American singer, and songwriter, with Doc Pomus ("Viva Las Vegas"; "Save The Last Dance For Me"), born in New York City (d. 1991)
- 1944-10-03 Roy Horn, German-American Las Vegas entertainer (Siegfried & Roy), born in Nordenham, Germany (d. 2020)
- 1957-02-03 Michele Greene, American actress (Abby Perkins-LA Law), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1960-08-02 David Yow, American musician (Scratch Acid; The Jesus Lizard), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1962-08-14 Jerry Foltz, American golfer and commentator (Golf Channel), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1964-07-04 Mark Slaughter, American hard rock singer,-songwriter, and guitarist (Slaughter - "Up All Night"; "Mad About You"), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1965-07-10 Scott McCarron, American golfer (Senior Players C'ship 2017), born in Sacramento, California
- 1965-10-06 Jim "Razor" Sharp, American rodeo rider (Las Vegas 1988), Kermit, Texas
- 1966-01-17 Trish Johnson, British golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles; 19 LET wins), born in Bristol, England
- 1966-03-27 Kate Donahoo, US judoka (Olympic-92), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1968-10-12 Charles Anthony, American CFL defensive back (Toronto Argonauts), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1969-07-31 Loren Dean, American actor (Billy Bathgate; Say Anything), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
Andre Agassi (54 years old)
1970-04-29 American tennis player (Olympic gold 1996, 8 Grand Slam titles), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
Jim Furyk (54 years old)
1970-05-12 American golfer (US Open 2003; 17 PGA Tour titles; first to shoot 58 2016), born in West Chester, Pennsylvania
- 1970-07-23 Charisma Carpenter, American actress (Angel), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1972-01-31 Marvin Coleman, American basketball player (Calgary Stampeders), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1973-05-22 Aaron Graham, professional American football player (Arizona Cardinals), born in Las Vegas, New Mexico
- 1973-12-23 Tony Graziani, American football quarterback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1974-05-25 Frank Klepacki, American video game composer (Command & Conquer: Red Alert), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1976-01-08 Jenny Lewis, American actress (Becky-Life With Lucy), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1976-02-15 Ronnie Vannucci Jr., American drummer (The Killers), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1978-11-06 Scott Piercy, American golfer (US Open 2016 runner-up), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1979-05-24 Frank Mir, American UFC fighter and professional wrestler, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1980-07-10 Thomas Ian Nicholas, actor (American Pie, Rookie of the Year), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1982-01-31 Brad Thompson, American baseball pitcher, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
Kyle Busch (39 years old)
1985-05-02 American auto racer, (NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2015), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1987-12-28 Thomas Dekker, American actor, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1988-01-14 Mikalah Gordon, American pop singer, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
Bryce Harper (31 years old)
1992-10-16 American baseball outfielder (7 × MLB All-Star; NL MVP 2015, 21; NLCS MVP 2022; All-MLB First Team 2021; Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
Famous Americans
'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien
50 Cent
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
A. E. Douglass
A. J. Foyt
Aaron Burr