PowerPoint Show by Andrew

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Despite its reputation for excess and surrealism, as a natural oasis in the desert Las Vegas was born from necessity.

Established in 1829 by merchants as a trade route stop between Mexico and California - the Old Spanish Trail.

It quickly became popular for its gambling, resulting in the creation of a central strip of entertainment venues.

Stars flocked in their droves, including Elvis Presley, Brigitte Bardot and Gene Kelly to name a few.

The main strip in Las Vegas during the golden era hints at its potential for growth. The open expanse reveals the desert backdrop in all its glory and the Dunes Hotel is the only focal point in the foreground.

In dramatic contrast, today's main strip in Las Vegas is vibrantly illuminated by hotels and casinos as far as the eye can see.

This 1906 picture of the city shows its early days and the original settlement before it became a thriving metropolis.

The Apache Hotel, originally built in 1932, was the first building in Las Vegas to have a lift and also featured stained glass windows.

Gamblers crowding around a roulette table at a casino in 1935, Las Vegas.

With the odd car driving down Fremont Street in Las Vegas, this image from 1941 is a far cry from the packed main strip tourists witness today.

A view of the pool at the El Rancho Vegas hotel and casino in July 1942 in Las Vegas in Nevada.

Neon Signs Outside Pioneer Club in 1951 (left) and The House of Jack Pots (right) greeted the visitors to the burgeoning Nevada outpost.

As the city grew in popularity it attracted big names. Pictured in 1955 is Frank Sinatra surrounded by elaborately-dressed women at the Dunes Hotel.

The Gabor sisters at a cocktail party to celebrate their show at the Last Frontier Hotel in 1955. From left to right Zsa Zsa, Magda and Eva.

Noel Coward, the English playwright, was an entertainer at the Desert Inn, Las Vegas. Here pictured in 1955.

The Bluebell Girls, from the Lido Nightclub in Paris, perform on suspended platforms at the Stardust Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada in 1958.

A flamboyant Bluebell girl (left) from the Lido de Paris adjusts her costume prior to appearing onstage at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas in 1958. The famous sign signalling entry into Sin City (right).

An aerial view of Las Vegas in 1964 shows the city as hotels and casinos start to line the city's roads.

A vintage postcard depicts the entrance of the Flamingo Hotel flanked by a line of vintage automobiles in the foreground.

Elvis Presley entertains amused onlookers at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.

Brigitte Bardot and her new husband, German industrialist Gunther Sachs Von Opel leave their plane after a flight from Las Vegas, where the couple were married in a surprise ceremony in 1966.

Gambling tables in swimming pools allowed guests to keep on playing without leaving the pool.

Tanya, the Siamese elephant who performed on stage at Dunes Hotel and Casino, joins gamblers at a blackjack table in 1966.

The adorned elephant aids gamblers during their game of Blackjack at the Dunes Hotel and Casino in 1966.

Elvis Presley performs at the Las Vegas International Hotel in 1969.

Elvis Presley pictured during a filmed rehearsal before a Las Vegas show in July 1970.

Gene Kelly pictured with the elaborately dressed Folies Bergere showgirls in 1970.

The Cal Neva Lodge in Crystal Bay in the early 1980's. Before the Las Vegas Strip ruled the gambling world, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. helped make the Cal Neva Lodge one of Nevada's coolest casinos in the 1960s.