After 50 years on the Las Vegas Strip, Circus Circus still going strong
Fifty years ago this month, Circus Circus opened its doors at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip. It’s still there today, a battle-scarred survivor of the implosion fever that gripped the casino business from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Circus Circus was the brainchild of Jay Sarno, who had imprinted his name on the Las Vegas map just a couple of years before with the Roman-themed Caesars Palace. The highly creative casino developer decided his next project would be driven by a desire to give families a reason to vacation in Las Vegas. While most other casino operators ...
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When the Mafia ruled Times Square
The latest television series featuring Mob figures continues this fall with the second season of HBO’s The Deuce, focusing on…
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Leave no trace
In 1934, John Dillinger was one of America’s most wanted. He was in hiding in Chicago and looking for a…
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The Don of Silicon Valley
Joe Cerrito died on September 7, 1978, from a heart attack at age 67. He was a successful businessman in…
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Joe Gallo’s ‘Crazy’ celebrity status
Though Joseph Gallo was only in his early 40s when he was gunned down, his status in American popular culture…
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The first mobster in Las Vegas: Part 3
Last of three parts On June 20, 1929, Jim Ferguson, the king of the Las Vegas bootleggers, took the stand…
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The first mobster in Las Vegas: Part 2
Second of three parts The year 1928 initially looked good from Jim Ferguson’s standpoint. The “King of the Tenderloin” in…
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The first mobster in Las Vegas: Part 1
First of three parts In the 1920s and ’30s, the U.S. government considered him a “menace to society.” Nevada law…
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