Toward the end of World War II, piano sensation Liberace pioneered the concept of a residency, where venues dedicate their stages exclusively to individual superstars, often for years at a time.
In their own subsequent residencies at the Copa Room at the Sands, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack helped establish the swanky, after-dark revelry for which Vegas has been become notorious.
Starting in the late 1960s, Elvis Presley was a Vegas fixture. And, of course, Wayne Newton.
With round-the-clock musicians, magicians, comedians, blue men and white Bengal tigers, the Strip became the premier global destination not just for indecorous gambling, but also for family-friendly entertainment.
(In case you're wondering who the members of the Rat Pack were: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.)
--DaCoot
