Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Spotlight
Whether we refer to it as Sin City or the Entertainment Capital of the World, when we hear the name Las Vegas, we think of gambling, casinos, bright lights and opulent hotels. Legend has it that the person most responsible for the Las Vegas Strip was Ben "Bugsy" Siegel, born 100 years ago today. Siegel took advantage of the fact that Nevada had legalized gambling in 1931, and built The Flamingo hotel there in 1946. Six months later, he was gunned down in his home by investors who thought he had stolen their money. Academy Award winner Warren Beatty played Bugsy in the eponymous film in 1991.

Quote
"Las Vegas has become, just as Bugsy Siegel dreamed, the American Monte Carlo – without any of the inevitable upper-class baggage of the Riviera casinos." – journalist Tom Wolfe

Word of the day
moniker: nickname; Siegel hated the moniker Bugsy. (© )

Today's News

• Windows Vista: Microsoft operating system to come in 6 versions (story)
• Dan Brown: Da Vinci Code author in court for plagiarism trial (story)
• Cairo: sun temple with statues of Ramses II discovered under marketplace (story)

Today's History

• Methodism: first church chartered by John Wesley (1784)
• dord: was revealed to be a ghost word (1939)
• M*A*S*H: final episode, Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen, aired; it was the top-rated TV episode in the US (1983)

Today's Birthdays

• Linus Pauling: winner of Nobel prizes for Chemistry and Peace (1901-1994)
• Mario Andretti: car racing champ (66)
• John Turturro: actor known for collaborations with Spike Lee and the Coen brothers (49)