The Mob Museum
@TheMobMuseum
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Named Best Museum in Nevada by USA Today and a Top 25 museum in the U.S. by TripAdvisor. Located in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas - Downtown
Joined July 2009
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After nearly 35 years on the Strip, the Mirage Hotel & Casino will close its doors permanently on July 17. The property, developed by Steve Wynn, is said to have helped reinvigorate Las Vegas tourism and set the stage for megaresorts to take over the Strip. The Mirage's size,
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#OTD
in 1966, Caesars Palace opened thanks to a $10.6M loan from the Teamsters Union pension fund, led by Jimmy Hoffa. Guests were greeted by costumed employees under a 100-foot chandelier made with 100,000 crystals. 📷 Las Vegas News Bureau
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Thanks to your votes, The Mob Museum has been named one of the 10 Best History Museums in the nation by
@USATODAY
!
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Congratulations to our three millionth visitor today, Olendruff! This lucky guest received lifetime admission to The Mob Museum, a rare replica of our historic building, dinner and a hotel stay at
@GoldenNuggetLV
, a commemorative bottle of our house-distilled Moonshine and more!
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The Tropicana, one of the longest-operating resorts on the Las Vegas Strip will close its doors today, April 2. The resort cost $15 million to build, which made it by far the most expensive Las Vegas resort built at the time and earned it the nickname "the Tiffany of the Strip."
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Before becoming a Las Vegas casino magnate, Benny "The Cowboy" Binion was a Prohibition-era moonshiner, gunfighting outlaw and boss of an illegal Texan gambling syndicate. In 1951, he opened Binion's Horseshoe, famous for having a $500 craps limit – ten times the normal limit.
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Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar spent seven years on Forbes list of world’s richest, shocking the business world when his criminal empire rivaled legal industries
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The FBI estimated that Tony Spilotro was responsible for nearly two dozen murders but was never convicted. In 1976, as a way to fence his gang’s stolen goods, he opened the Gold Rush jewelry shop, once located at 228 W. Sahara Ave at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.
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#OTD
in 1967, Howard Hughes bought the Desert Inn from Las Vegas mobster Moe Dalitz and partners for $13.2 million. Hughes went on to purchase several more resorts, ushering the Las Vegas strip into the era of modern, corporately owned hotels.
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#OTD
in 1941, El Cortez opened on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. The resort, which cost only $245,000 to build, was once owned by Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel. 📷 UNLV Archives
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#OnThisDay
in 1972: “The Godfather” was released. Based on Mario Puzo’s novel and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, “The Godfather” is considered one of the greatest films of all time and a Mob classic.
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Goodfellas was released in the US
#OTD
in 1990. Did you know? Ray Liotta was a hit as Henry Hill, but Alec Baldwin, Val Kilmer and Nicolas Cage also pursued the role. Before De Niro stepped up, John Malkovich was discussed for his part, and Madonna was considered for Karen Hill.
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Frank Sinatra died on May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, CA. Among his long list of achievements, Sinatra helped put Las Vegas on the map as an entertainment destination. The Sands, Sahara, Riviera, Caesars Palace and Golden Nugget are a few of the legendary resorts where he performed.
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We are deeply saddened to hear the news about Tony Hsieh’s passing. Tony was a longtime friend and tremendous supporter of the Museum and incredibly passionate about the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas. We will miss him dearly.
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In February 1997, Donnie Brasco was released in theaters. Starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, the film was based on the true story of FBI undercover agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family.
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The Dunes Hotel and Casino closed in January of 1993. Claims have been made that the Dunes was Mob-controlled, including an FBI informant's report that Raymond Patriarca, leader of a major New England crime family, held one quarter interest. The Dunes was imploded in 1993.
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Happy 84th birthday to former Las Vegas Mayor and the visionary behind The Mob Museum, Oscar Goodman! Celebrate with 84 cent gin martinis available only today, July 26 from noon to 6:30 p.m. in The Underground at The Mob Museum.
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In February 1997, Donnie Brasco was released in theaters. Starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, the film was based on the true story of FBI undercover agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family.
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On December 26, 1946, Bugsy Siegel opened the Mob-funded Flamingo Hotel. Siegel was murdered six months after and to this day, no one knows who killed him.
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#OnThisDayinHistory
: Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” was released in theaters in 1990. Met with almost universal critical praise, Goodfellas follows Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, as he climbs the ranks of the Mob, starting in 1970’s New York.
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On September 19, 1990: Goodfellas was released in theaters. Did you know that the famous “You Think I’m Funny” scene was improvised? The interaction was based on an experience Joe Pesci had in real life with a mobster.
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Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our community, and it has become clear that public institutions must take precaution to reduce the coronavirus spread. With that in mind, The Museum is temporarily suspending all public operations until further notice.
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#OTD
in 1998, American singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82. These photos from 1967 show Sinatra climbing the steps of The Mob Museum, which was then the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. Sinatra was here to give testimony to a grand jury who were investigating
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This month marks thirty years since Goodfellas was released in American theaters. It was the highest-grossing movie of the September 21-23, 1990, weekend, beating eventual big box office hit Ghost, and was met with almost universal critical praise.
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Best birthday wishes to former Las Vegas Mayor and visionary behind The Mob Museum, Oscar Goodman!
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Frank Cullotta, leader of the infamous Hole in the Wall Gang burglary ring in Las Vegas, died early Thursday in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 81.
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On July 22, 1953, KLAS Channel 8 became the first television station to sign on in Nevada. Led by Hank Greenspun and 17 partners, KLAS signed on with 5,000 watts generated by a single antenna standing 287 feet tall, which at the time was the tallest structure in the state.
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In December 1946, Bugsy Siegel opened the Mob-funded Flamingo Hotel. Siegel was murdered six months after and to this day, no one knows who killed him.
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On November 15, The Mob Museum celebrates Kefauver Day in honor of the Kefauver Committee hearing that took place in our building's courtroom on that date in 1950. The Museum is free for Nevada residents & buy-one-get-one for non-residents thanks to Zappos' generous support.
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Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and his partner, LA. Nightclub owner Billy Wilkerson, opened the iconic
@FlamingoVegas
Hotel
#onthisday
in 1946, setting a new standard for opulence and excess in Las Vegas. On display now are two, one-of-a-kind Flamingo artifacts.
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#OnThisDayinHistory
, 1978, more than $6 million in cash & jewelry was taken in a daring armed robbery that rocked JFK Airport in NYC & baffles law enforcement to this day. Known as the
#LufthansaHeist
, it is the largest never recovered cash haul in history. 📸: New York Times
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The Mob Museum is officially open and we can’t wait to see you! Purchase your timed-entry tickets on our website here:
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This evening, The Mob Museum will join the nationwide We Make Events Red Alert campaign by lighting our building red to support the millions of live entertainment professionals who are out of work due to the pandemic.
#RedAlertRESTART
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Throwback to the 1950s at the Sands Hotel—where you could shoot craps while cooling off in the pool.
📸: UNLV Libraries Digital Collections
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#OTD
in 1915 Frank Sinatra was born. In the early '40s, when bandleader Tommy Dorsey refused to let Sinatra out of a lifetime contract, Sinatra's longtime friend, Genovese crime family associate Willie Moretti reportedly jammed a gun into Dorsey's mouth, convincing him otherwise.
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Did you know? Betty Willis designed the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign that was erected in 1959.
📸:
@summacorp
|
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Happy 80th Birthday to Oscar Goodman, former Las Vegas Mayor and one of The Mob Museum’s key visionaries. Cheers to you, Oscar! 📸: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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On April 21, 1955, the nine-story Riviera Hotel opened to the public as Las Vegas’ first high rise hotel. It was the 9th resort on the Strip and featured many notable entertainers throughout its history, including Liberace, Frank Sinatra and other high-profile acts. 📸: UNLV
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In 1931, Cab Calloway and His Orchestra became the house band at the famed Cotton Club. His 1931 song, Minnie the Moocher, was the 1st single for an African American artist to sell a million records. He had songs on the Billboard charts for five straight decades.
#BlackMusicMonth
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Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno was a boss of the Genovese family and was once declared the wealthiest and most powerful mobster in America by Fortune Magazine, earning tens of millions from loansharking, "Mafia tax" on New York construction projects and skimming from Nevada casinos.
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The Stardust Hotel, longtime cash cow for the Mob, debuted 60 years ago on the Las Vegas Strip
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The Golden Nugget casino opened
#OTD
in 1946 on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. Its owner, Mob-tied Vegas big shot, Guy McAfee, spent more than $1 million on the property, which was the largest gambling hall in town at the time.
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The first telephone in Las Vegas was installed this week in 1907 at the Hotel Nevada. Later renamed the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, another Las Vegas “first” for the resort includes serving the shrimp cocktail in 1959.
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In November 1995, Martin Scorsese's Casino debuted in theaters. Filmed on location in Las Vegas, the movie followed the real-life story of the Mob’s control of the Stardust casino, renamed the Tangiers, & the main character Sam “Ace” Rothstein was based on Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal
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On April 3, 1941, California hotel builder named Thomas Hull opened El Rancho Vegas, the first hotel-casino on what would become known as the Las Vegas Strip. The Western-themed resort debuted with 50 rooms, restaurants, a theater, a casino and a swimming pool.
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Happy Birthday to one of The Mob Museum’s key visionaries, Oscar B. Goodman!
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In December 1946, Lucky Luciano organized the Havana Conference, a meeting of more than twenty mobsters representing crime families from cities throughout the United States. The summit was held at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, one of Havana's finest hotels.
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Happy Birthday to Oscar Goodman, former Las Vegas Mayor and one of The Mob Museum’s key visionaries.
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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The Mob Museum is offering free admission to federal government employees and $5 cocktails made with house-distilled moonshine for the duration of the government shutdown. Bring your valid I.D. to our box office to redeem.
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#OnThisDay
in 1999, the classic Mob television drama “The Sopranos” premiered. After six seasons, both critics and viewers agreed the show was one of the best of its time.
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Happy 114th Birthday to the
@CityOfLasVegas
! Did you know? The city was established in 1905 when a company building the Union Pacific Railroad from Salt Lake City to San Pedro, California, needed a station, repair yard, housing & businesses for its employees.
#HappyBirthdayVegas
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Boardwalk Empire premiered on HBO in September 2010. Set in Atlantic City during Prohibition, the series starred Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, based on longtime political & crime ringleader Enoch “Nucky” Johnson. Under his control, Atlantic City had an “anything goes” policy.
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#ThisDayinHistory
: Tony Spilotro is killed in Indiana in 1986. Unhappy with how he was handling the Chicago Mob’s business in Las Vegas, the crime org lured Spilotro to a false Mafia induction ceremony for his brother Michael. Neither left the meeting alive.
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#TheGodfather
was released in U.S. theaters
#OTD
in 1972. The film became the highest-grossing film of 1972, earning more than $250 million at the box office. Paramount obtained the rights to the 1969 novel for $80,000. Apparently, it was an offer they couldn't refuse.
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“Old Vegas” is the best Vegas. Agreed?
📸: Vintage Las Vegas |
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In March 1967, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes purchased the Desert Inn Hotel from Moe Dalitz. Hughes arrived in Las Vegas in 1966 and took up residence on the top floor of the Desert Inn Hotel.
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The former home of infamous Gambino boss Paul Castellano is on the market. The 33,000-sq-ft mansion on Staten Island is listed for $16.8M. Castellano, who built the mansion in 1980, met his end at the hands of John Gotti's crew in 1985.
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When mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was killed in 1947 at his girlfriend Virginia Hill’s home in Beverly Hills, California, he had left various personal items in a bedroom of friend George Raft’s home. These darkly tinted sunglasses were among those items.
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#OTD
in 1985, Paul "Big Paul" Castellano, former boss of Gambino crime family, was murdered along with his underboss, Thomas Bilotti outside of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan in an unsanctioned hit organized by Gambino captain John Gotti.
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The notorious Al Capone was born January 17, 1899. His criminal empire, built on the back of Prohibition, transformed organized crime, bringing Mob corruption and violence to a level never before seen in American history.
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Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano and his underboss, Thomas Bilotti, were assassinated in Manhattan
#OTD
in 1985. The bloody takedown was a power grab that John Gotti orchestrated to move himself up the ladder into the top spot as Gambino boss.
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The growth of Las Vegas and a revolution in transportation changed Fremont Street. In 1925, Fremont Street was paved for the first time from Main Street to 5th Street, making it the first paved street in Las Vegas.
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This phonebooth stood in the Four Deuces saloon, which served as headquarters for the Chicago crime syndicate run by Johnny Torrio and his protégé, Al Capone. The building, named for its address at 2222 S. Wabash Avenue, was the site of a dozen unsolved gangland killings.
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Herman Moody was
#LVMPD
's first Black police officer. After serving in the Navy during WWII, he joined the police force in 1946, and rose through the ranks to retire as the most senior officer in 1977. Moody passed away on February 25, 2023 at the age of 98.
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Carlo Gambino, family boss and inspiration for The Godfather, was born
#OTD
in 1902 in Sicily. In his teens, he was a hitman, allegedly "made" into the Mafia before he came to the U.S. at the age of 19 as a stowaway on steamer ship. He died from heart disease on Oct. 15, 1976.
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In the 1950s, Cornero began building the 1,500-room Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas, which at the time was the largest casino resort in the city. But he didn’t live to see it open. On July 31, 1955, he suffered a fatal heart attack while gambling at the craps table at the Desert Inn.
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Throwback to 1951 when the Horseshoe Club, now Binion’s Gambling Hall, opened in downtown Las Vegas. Binion’s is one of downtown’s oldest casinos.
📸:
@summacorp
|
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#DonnieBrasco
premiered
#OnThisDay
in 1997 earning $124.9 million at the box office. The film is based on the experiences of undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone. Real-life mobsters Lefty Ruggiero, "Sonny Black" Napolitano, and Santo Trafficante Jr. are also portrayed.
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#OnThisDay
in 1915, Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Sinatra helped put Las Vegas on the map as an entertainment destination. The Sands, Sahara, Riviera,
@CaesarsPalace
&
@goldennuggetlv
are a few of the legendary resorts where the “Chairman of the Board” performed.
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Plenty of snow in the forecast for this week’s Thursday
#Throwback
. A snapshot of Fremont Street in the early 1930s.
📸:
@unlvsc
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#OTD
in 1996, the Sands hotel and casino, the 7th hotel built on the Las Vegas Strip, closed. It opened in December of 1952 and, in the first 8 hours, lost over $200K. Unlike the Flamingo which also famously opened to losses, the Sands made all of its money back within 16 hours.
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#OnThisDay
in 1995, “Casino” premiered in U.S. theaters. The film was an instant box office success – cementing its status as one of the greatest Mob films of all time.
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Before Las Vegas became a Mob town, Hot Springs, Arkansas, was a gangster's paradise. Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano and other heavyweights enjoyed the town's illegal but open gambling. Shown here: Frank Costello enjoys a novelty tourist stop, "Hot Springs Saloon."
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#OnThisDay
in 1999: The Sopranos television crime series began airing on HBO, featuring a fictional New Jersey Mafia boss and his family, reigniting public interest in the Mafia. The groundbreaking show covered 86 episodes from January 1999 to June 2007 and won 21 Emmys.
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Before the Flamingo, the Stardust and the Sands – the El Rancho was the premier resort destination on the Las Vegas Strip (then known as Highway 91). In April 1941, it was the first resort to open on the stretch of land. 📸:
@unlvsc
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59
In Dec. 1978, more than $6 million in cash and jewelry was taken in a daring armed robbery that rocked John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. Known as the Lufthansa heist, it is the largest never recovered cash haul in history, and a crime memorialized in the film Goodfellas.
4
23
54
One of the most iconic films of all time, “The Godfather” was released on this day in 1972. The film set a new standard for the genre, but did you know the words “mafia” and “mob” are not mentioned once throughout?
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Mayme Stocker, proprietor of the Northern Club at 15 Fremont in Las Vegas, was one of the first people and first woman, to obtain a lawful Nevada gaming license in 1931. She ran the club with her sons until the ‘40s and resided in Las Vegas for the rest of her life.
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One of the most memorable Mob movie moments of the 1990s was a scene from a movie that was never made. "Angels with Filthy Souls" was written and filmed exclusively for the 1990 holiday comedy Home Alone.
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Hey,
@IntlSpyMuseum
! Congrats on your
@Capitals
. Our guess is they will play the Finals in true spy fashion – no one will even notice they were there! ;)
Our
@GoldenKnights
are Made guys – you don't stand a chance!
#fuggedaboutit
#GoKnightsGo
#VegasBorn
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#OnThisDay
in 1990: Goodfellas was released in theaters.
#FunFact
: Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta improvised the memorable “Funny how?” scene.
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This model shows how Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped from a Mexican prison in 2015. Guzman, who was captured in January 2016 and extradited to the United States in January 2017, is currently on trial in New York City.
See it on display in the Museum’s retail shop.
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#OTD
in 1989, a reported 3,000 New Yorkers gathered at mobster John Gotti's annual Fourth of July party. Gotti's firework shows were held over the span of more than two decades, ending around 1997 due to increasing pressure from local law enforcement.
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#OTD
in 1983, Scarface, starring Al Pacino, was released in theaters. The film barely avoided an X rating due to violence, profanity and drug usage. Some call it a misfit cult classic. Others consider it one of the best gangster movies of all time. How would you rank it?
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#OnThisDayinHistory
: Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, who oversaw the Stardust casino skim for the Chicago Outfit, survived a car bombing in 1982 in a Las Vegas restaurant parking lot.
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#OTD
in 1998, American singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82. He remains one of the world's best-selling music artists with an estimated 150M record sales. His performances at The Sands, Sahara and other venues helped make Las Vegas an entertainment destination.
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#OTD
in 1947, mobster Bugsy Siegel was killed by an unknown assassin. Reportedly, at 10:45 p.m. a sniper fired 9 times, hitting Siegel twice in the head and twice in the torso. Read more about Bugsy's murder in our 2018 blog: .
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Texas-native Benny Binion opened the Horseshoe Club, as it was originally called, on August 14, 1951. It was later renamed Binion’s Horseshoe, and we now know it as Binion’s Gambling Hall—one of downtown Las Vegas’ oldest casinos.
📸:
@summacorp
|
0
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On July 30, 1975, Jimmy Hoffa drove to meet with Tony Provenzano and Anthony Giacalone at a suburban Detroit restaurant, but they never showed. Witnesses last saw Hoffa getting into a car, never to be seen again. He was declared legally dead 7 years after his disappearance.
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Legendary singer and entertainer Dean Martin was born this month in 1917. Nicknamed the “King of Cool,” Martin helped put Las Vegas on the map as an entertainment destination. Along with his fellow Rat Pack members, Martin made countless appearances and performances in Vegas.
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