Vintage vacations in Vegas

Looking east on Fremont Street in 1943, Las Vegas still has that frontier feel Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy By 1956, Fremont Street was lit up in a blaze of neon that now defines Sin City Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy In 1945, mobster Bugsy Siegel came to Las Vegas, attracted by its legalised gambling and its off-track betting. He started his empire by buying the El Cortez hotel on Fremont Street Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy Siegel opened The Flamingo Hotel & Casino, , billed as the world's most luxurious hotel, at a total cost of $6m on December 26, 1946 Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy The Sands was the centre of "cool" on the Strip, and hosted shows by the Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford - in the Copa Room in the 1950s and 60 Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy El Rancho Vegas on the Strip. Shirley Bassey made her American stage debut here in 1957 Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy Blackjack table, Las Vegas, 1967 Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy The Mint Hotel and Casino opened in 1957. It was Hunter S Thompson's first night's stay in his 1971 weekend trip to Las Vegas, immortalised in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy Photograph: Universal Images Group (Lake Cou/Universal Images Group/Alamy The Thunderbird resort, 1966 Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy Caesars Palace was built in 1962 for $35m by Jay Sarno, who is credited as being the father of today's more family-oriented Las Vegas Photograph: Universal Images Group/Alamy