December 26  This Day in History  Lead Story  Dec 26, 1946:
Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel  On December 26, 1946, in Las
Vegas, Nevada, mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel opens The Pink
Flamingo Hotel & Casino at a total cost of $6 million. The
40-acre facility wasn't complete and Siegel was hoping to raise
some revenue with the grand opening.  Well-known singer and
comedian Jimmy Durante headlined the entertainment, with music
by Cuban band leader Xavier Cugat. Some of Siegel's Hollywood
friends, including actors George Raft, George Sanders, Sonny
Tufts and George Jessel were in attendance.     Siegel and his
organized crime buddies used the profits to influence Wilkerson
to accept new partners. Siegel took over the project and
supervised the building, naming it after his girlfriend Virginia
Hill, whose nickname was "The Flamingo" because of her red hair
and long legs.   Convinced that Siegel wasn't giving them a
"square count," it is widely believed that his partners in
organized crime had him killed while