Sharply dressed, blue-eyed Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel stands for this photo. Siegel was a well-known friend and associate of mobsters Meyer Lansky and Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. He is often credited as the father of modern Las Vegas. View photo »

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel is captured in this 1928 New York Police mug shot. Siegel built the Flamingo Hotel in 1946. While the lavish hotel's opening on Dec. 26, 1946 was a disaster, the Flamingo began making money in the spring of 1947 -- paving the way for other mob run hotels on the Strip. View photo »

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, shown here in profile, was one of the handsomest hoodlums of his day. No one who valued his life ever called him "Bugsy" to his face. In 1946 Siegel arrived in Nevada to finish building the Flamingo Hotel, beginning the golden age of Las Vegas. View photo »

Hollywood Reporter magazine founder and nightclub owner Billy Wilkerson poses for this undated photo. After attempts to build his ambitious Flamingo Club ran into financial trouble, Wilkerson turned to mobster Meyer Lansky who offered $1 million to complete the Flamingo in exchange for interest in the resort. Wilkerson was later muscled out of the project by Lansky representative Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. View photo »

The Flamingo Hotel stands out in the barren desert in this November 1952 photo. The hotel set the bar for style and entertainment in Las Vegas, changing the city forever. View photo »

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's Flamingo Hotel is shown in this photo. Under Siegel's authority the hotel's construction was disorganized and the grand opening was a flop, forcing the hotel to close after less than a month of operation. Siegel's mismanagement of the Flamingo eventually cost him his life. View photo »