JUNE 29, 2005: IVANA TRUMP ANNOUNCES SHE’LL TEAM WITH DEVELOPER VICTOR ALTOMARE...
June 27, 2002: John Entwistle, bass player for The Who, dies in his suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, on the eve of the legendary rock group’s latest U.S. tour. He had spent the night with a groupie, who woke to find him cold and unresponsive. A cocaine-induced heart attack did him in.
June 28, 1997: The second heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield at the MGM Grand Garden Arena ends after three rounds when Tyson is disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ears.
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June 29, 2005: Ivana Trump announces she’ll team with developer Victor Altomare to build an 80-story condominium complex on The Strip called “Ivana – The Supertower.” Ex-husband Donald, who’s building his own tower down the street, scoffs – and he’s right. The plan collapses just six months later.
June 30, 2006: Love, the Cirque du Soleil production featuring music of the Beatles, stages a gala opening at the Mirage. The unprecedented Beatles family reunion in attendance includes Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Cynthia and Julian Lennon, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, and George Martin.
July 1, 1976: Neil Diamond makes his Las Vegas debut with a concert at the Aladdin. He would not make regular visits to the city until two decades later.
July 2, 1958: Lido de Paris, a spinoff of the spectacular French musical revue, opens at the Stardust. It’s an immediate sensation, continuously one-upping itself with topless showgirls, an ice rink, spectacles ranging from waterfalls to the sinking of the Titanic to fireworks – and runs for nearly 33 years.
July 3, 2012: With three fives on the final hand, Antonio Esfandiari wins $18,346,673, the richest top prize in poker history, at the One Drop Texas Hold’em tournament at the Rio. The three-day event with a $1 million buy-in draws 48 players and raises millions for charity.
July 4, 1981: The Hole in the Wall Gang, run by mobster Tony (the Ant) Spilotro and specializing in robbing hotel rooms and homes of rich gamblers, is caught breaking into Bertha’s, a Las Vegas furniture and jewelry store, after one of the gang rats them out. The Mob has Spilotrokilled five years later.
July 5, 2009: The Hangover, a crude, hilarious comedy about three friends who take their buddy to Vegas for a bachelor weekend – then can’t remember where they left him – opens to huge business. The worldwide gross tops $460 million, prompting a sequel set in Thailand.
July 6, 2007: Hal Lubarsky finishes 197th in the World Series of Poker at the Rio, winning $51,398 – and becoming the first blind player ever to cash in at the tournament. Two aides read the cards for him. When he finally busts out, the crowd rewards him with a standing ovation.