As someone who loves Las Vegas, you may know that the city has hidden underground wells, hosts up to 150 weddings annually, and has some of the biggest casinos and resorts where up to 60,000 pounds of shrimp is served daily.
Yet, did you know Las Vegas is also renowned for its dozens of unbelievable incidences?
Would you believe that in 2020, several locals reported seeing an alleged UFO above the skies of the Las Vegas Strip? The extraterrestrial activity attracted global attention, fueling dozens of conspiracy theories afterward. And, six years earlier, there was a celebrity impersonator showdown on Freemont Street. The heated turf war involved Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley impersonators throwing down.
Well, if these occurrences fascinate you, here are five other crazy stories that took place in Las Vegas:
The Biggest Slot Win
Slot machines are fun, super satisfying and you can win good money on them. Did you know that the largest single jackpot won in Vegas was in March 2003? A 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles won it. The anonymous player made global headlines after winning $39.7 million at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino, attesting to the unpredictable nature of gambling. The fact that the record-breaking win took place in seconds when the player made his very first spin without even knowing that he was participating in a progressive jackpot slot makes it even more spectacular. The win is now in the Guinness Book of World Records and is yet to be broken.
The $1.5M Casino Chip Heist
Here is another crazy Las Vegas story that sounds straight out of Hollywood. In January 2011, a daring thief made off with high-value casino chips worth over $1.5 million from Bellagio’s casino floor, leaving Las Vegas police in pursuit. As per the authorities, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet walked into the Bellagio Hotel, brandished a gun at players and a dealer on the casino floor, and took off with the chips. Surveillance cameras captured the audacious heist, which took place in less than three minutes.
A Circus Tiger Attack
Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were renowned magicians and entertainers. Before settling on the Vegas Strip, they hosted iconic circus performances involving exotic animals in luxury cruise ships, clubs, and theaters worldwide.
The dynamic duo’s performing era ended after one of their trained white tigers attacked and critically injured Roy Horn during a live performance at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in October 2003. This was shocking since they had never had such an accident throughout their 35-year career performing with elephants, lions, and cheetahs.
The Great Buffet Brawl
Have you ever wondered why many hotels exclude crab legs from their all-you-can-eat buffets? It’s not just the cost. It’s also to prevent disputes that can turn into blow brawls when revelers scramble for the delicacy! Crab legs are usually the most expensive option on the buffet table. And people who love them never mess around.
That was the case in January 2018 when a feeding frenzy at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas escalated into a brawl. Utensils became lethal weapons when the crab legs were added to the buffet table.
The Wedding Capital of the World
Do you know the story behind the world-famous Drive Through Wedding Tunnel at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas? It’s here that couples can commit to each other for life the same way they order fries and a Whopper.
The all-exclusive wedding vow lane began decades ago when Charlotte Richards, the owner of the small chapel, officiated a wedding outside for a couple who couldn’t get through the doors because of their wheelchairs. Since then, Charlotte has been dubbed the Queen of Weddings and is said to have contributed to making Vegas the Wedding Capital of the World.
