Superlatives
The greatest ceiling in the world: Bellagio, displaying, in the main lobby, a glass sculpture/light fixture (chandelier) created by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.
The world's largest gold nugget on display can be seen at Golden Nugget. The Hand of Faith Nugget, found in Australia in 1980, weighs 61 pounds, 11 ounces.
The largest coca cola bottle in the world, 100 ft tall. It is located in front of the Showcase shopping center, adjacent to MGM Grand.
The oldest living organisms on Planet Earth: Bristlecone Pines, in the Toiyabe National Forest, at Mt Charleston.
The largest indoor amusement park in the US: Adventuredome, at Circus Circus.
The largest man-made lake in the US and largest reservoir: Lake Mead.
The largest private man-made lake in the US: Lake Las Vegas.
The driest place in the US, with an average rainfall under two inches per year: Death Valley.
The tallest free-standing observation structure in the US and the tallest building west of Mississippi: Stratosphere, 1,149 ft.
The oldest golf course in Las Vegas is the Las Vegas Municipal Golf Club, 4300 W Washington Ave.
The world’s largest mechanical neon sign: Vegas Vic, 48 ft tall, displayed on Fremont St.
The lowest point in the western hemisphere: Badwater, Death Valley, 282 ft below sea level.
The longest running show in Las Vegas: Folies Bergere, at Tropicana, between 1959 and 2009.
The world's largest free-standing ad: the LVH (formerly Hilton) sign, a total area of 70,100 sq ft, standing 279 ft tall, and featuring more than 6 miles of neon and fluorescent lights.
The world's largest freestanding indoor rock climbing structure: Gameworks, the 75-ft Surge Rock.
The world's most powerful beam, 40-billion candlepower: Luxor.
The driest state in the US: Nevada, 9 inches of rain, annually. Las Vegas averages 4.7 inches of rain per year.
The largest bronze statue in the US: The lion statue in front of MGM Grand; it stands 45-ft tall and weighs 100,000 pounds.
The world's smallest butterfly: Pygmy Blue--it can be found only in Nevada.
The most mountainous state in the US is Nevada, with 314 mountain ranges.
The longest Morse code telegram ever sent was the Nevada constitution, from Carson City to Washington, DC, in 1864.
The most expensive private development in the US is CityCenter: $8.5 billion.
... AND THE ONLY ...
The only place in Nevada where gambling is illegal is Boulder City, 24 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
The only place in the world where you can see pup fish is Death Valley.
The only spiral escalators in the US are in the Forum Shops, close to the Strip entrance.
The only poisonous lizard in the US: gila monster, which can be found in the Las Vegas area.
The only restaurant in Las Vegas where you can see original paintings by Picasso is at Bellagio. The name of the restaurant is ... Picasso.
The only car manufacturer in Nevada: Shelby Automobiles.
... AND THE FIRST ...
The first buffet in Las Vegas was in the first casino on the Strip: El Rancho Vegas (1941).
The first topless show was Minsky's Follies, at the Dunes, in 1957.
The first casino to add a sports book was Stardust, now imploded.
The first hotel to open in Las Vegas was Las Vegas Hotel, on May 15, 1905: a tent with 30 beds.
The first hotel-casino to have an art gallery: Bellagio.
Nevada's first park is Valley of Fire, established in 1935.
