The word “casino” originally meant “a public hall for music and dancing”. By the second half of the 19th century, the term essentially meant a collection of gaming or gambling rooms. The classic example of a casino, and one of the world’s best known, is “The Casino” at Monte Carlo, which opened in 1861.

In Las Vegas The Arizona Club was the first resort to open…
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Las Vegas Vacation Fun Stuff, Did You Know?

Fun stuff to amaze your friends on your flight

DID YOU KNOW?

The word “casino” originally meant “a public hall for music and dancing”. By the second half of the 19th century, the term essentially meant a collection of gaming or gambling rooms. The classic example of a casino, and one of the world’s best known, is “The Casino” at Monte Carlo, which opened in 1861.

In Las Vegas The Arizona Club was the first resort to open in Vegas March 31, 1906.

Las Vegas was incorporated into a city in June, 1911.

The first flight into Las Vegas was by two Blythe, California newspaper men on May 10, 1920.

Gambling Sandwich? Who invented what we refer to as a “sandwich”? So common we don’t ever think that an English gambler, “The Earl of Sandwich” asked for meat between his bread so he wouldn’t have to stop gambling merely to eat his lunch!…True!

Gambling: What a phenomenon! Ever wonder where all this gambling stuff got started?

The first accounts of gambling were in 2300 B.C. in China

Gambling was very popular in ancient Greece, even though it was “illegal”.

Who were the first real “Tough Guys” to bet on? (Clue; Rome) Yep, Gladiators.

Dice: Who used dice first? Craps? Who thought that one up? The Egyptians. They carved dice from the anklebones of antelope to roll. Hence, “Roll them Bones”! The Egyptians wagered on a game originally called “atep” a game of guessing the number of upheld fingers.
( I wonder if this is also the origin of the now so common middle finger salute? Ed.)

Playing Cards are believed to have been invented in China and/or India sometime around 900 A.D. The Chinese are thought to have originated card games when they began shuffling paper money (another Chinese invention) into various denominations and combinations.

Baccarat is the principal of card games in the United Kingdom and most of Europe.

Blackjack is a fixture in all American Casinos.

Golf is believed to have started in Scotland (records show 1400 A.D.) but a stained glass window from 1340 A.D. shows a duffer throwing his club in the Loch! I guess the first golfer/gambler was a sore loser then, like today! {Ed.}

Ever wonder who the heck those “Kings” are on your deck of cards?

King of Spades – King David
King of Hearts – Charlemagne
King of Clubs – Alexander the Great
King of Diamonds – Julius Caesar

In doing my research to satisfy my curiosity I thought there might be others wondering about some of these hard to find answers. And at the same time enjoy a chuckle at this form of Las Vegas Entertainment.

You may feel free to reprint this article for use on your flight or on other websites. But you must leave this link intact.

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Every city in America has a main street. Many European cities do, too, but as many of them are round it’s sometimes hard to tell which it is. But that’s not a problem in Las Vegas. Fremont Street is it. Of course, those who walk The Strip will argue. But visit Fremont Street and you’ll be convinced. New York has Times Square at Broadway where the neon lights astound visitors. Paris is appropriately nicknamed the City of Lights. But Las Vegas is unique. Nowhere outside Asia can you find such a dazzling array of sights and sounds, with crowds to match.

Housed under a permanent canopy, the casino-lined street has over two million lights and a state-of-the-art sound system. The combined effect is, well, electric. Under the $70 million canopy walk a million visitors a year, if ‘walk’ is the proper term. On many nights, it’s more like being the ball in a pinball game. Not that it’s overcrowded, it’s just that you spend so much time trying to take in all the sights, you have to bump shoulders fairly frequently.

Ninety feet above your head there are 12.5 million synchronized LED lights producing millions of color combinations, accompanied by animation and video. One second it may be a TV broadcast, the next an indefinable kaleidoscope that pops your pupils. Among the better known signs is Glitter Gulch’s Vegas Vickie, exemplifying everything that is Las Vegas. Kitsch, fun, carefree and silly. Videos are projected onto the canopy, too. Some last several minutes and run the gamut from ‘The Drop’, a psychedelic ‘happening’ ala the ’60s, to ‘Area 51′, showing earthlings in battle with aliens. ‘Above and Beyond’ gives visitors a view of the Earth from outerspace, while ‘Fahrenheit at Night’ displays some of what Vegas is best known for: beautiful women.

There are dozens of shops, everything from small indoor venues to free standing kiosks. Many of the offerings are just what you’d expect – little trinkets that will break the first time your child goes to play with it. But there is the odd interesting item here and there. If nothing else you can grab a doughnut at Krispy Kreme and enjoy the sights from the outdoor patio. The canopy is 1,400 feet (about 1/4 of a mile), so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to miss something interesting. Better plan to go twice, at least once when you’re sober.

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