On May 15, 2005, Las Vegas celebrates its 100th birthday
The Centennial Celebration Committee has promised to commemorate the 100th birthday as only Las Vegas can by hosting a birthday party that's bigger and brighter than the neon lights on the Las Vegas Strip!
Centennial events are being celebrated all year long, but the high point of the festivities is the 100th Birthday Party at the Fremont Street Experience, beginning at dusk on May 15. Enjoy a piece of the world's largest birthday cake - registered with the Guinness Book of World Records - weighing in at 130,000 pounds.
The name, Las Vegas, was derived from the abundant water to be found in the valley-a welcome relief for many early traders. In 1844, John Charles Fremont first entered the valley, noting the name for the first time in his expedition journal. After publication of his journal, many Americans traveling overland to California used the route he described, known as the Old Spanish Trail.
