Today, December 26, 1946 - Mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel opened up the Flamingo Casino. It was named after his girlfriend, actress Virginia Hill, who was nicknamed the Flamingo because of her red hair and long legs.

The Flamingo lost 300,000 dollars in its first week. The hotel wasn't finished so the gamblers had no rooms to stay in so they took their winnings to other casinos. Bad weather also kept other people from coming to the Grand Opening as well.

A year later, Siegel was killed while reading his paper in his living room. The murder is still unsolved today. Virginia Hill was in Paris at the time as she left Siegel ten days prior to that due to a fight they had.

The Flamingo Las Vegas is still in operstion today and is owned by Harrahs Entertainment.


Vance Rowe
Crime Editor