75 Years of Las Vegas History

Celebrating 75 Years

The LVCVA Archive has nearly 7 million images, 11,000 pieces of film and video, and 1,300-linear-feet of manuscripts and artifacts. It celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022. As we continue the celebration over the years, we will reveal new photo collections that showcase the destination’s rich history.

Here are a few of the iconic images from our archive collection:

The bright lights of Las Vegas have drawn some of the biggest celebrities over the decades. See how many stars you can name in our photo above.

Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop, known as 'The Rat Pack,' performed at the Sands on January 20, 1960. During the day, they filmed for the movie 'Ocean's Eleven', and in the evenings they performed at the Sands.

Elvis Presley at the International Hotel on August 17, 1971.

Elvis' engagement at the International Hotel began in August 1969, and it was the first time he performed live in eight years. It was a massive success, and the news bureau photographers covered Elvis while both performing and relaxing off stage and their photographs were published around the world. According to author Richard Zoglin, 'Elvis set a new bar for Vegas performers; the biggest salary, the biggest musical production, and the biggest promotion campaign the city had ever seen.'

We encourage you to download your favorite images and share them on social media, use them as a Zoom background, or save them as your personal Las Vegas history keepsake.

Find more on our website at https://www.lvcva.com/who-we-are/75th-anniversary/.