Nevada Yesterdays

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Remembering Ruby Duncan: Part 2

Nevada Yesterdays

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Remembering Ruby Duncan: Part 1

Nevada Yesterdays

Ruby Duncan rose from Louisiana cotton fields to become a Nevada force for change. Trace her early life and the roots of her welfare-rights activism.

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How a land-grant act built one of Nevada's flagship university

Nevada Yesterdays

From a seven-student schoolhouse in Elko in 1874 to nearly 22,000 students today, the full history of the University of Nevada, Reno — its founding, legendary faculty, championship athletes, and the leaders who shaped it.

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Paul Laxalt: Governor, Senator, and Reagan's "first friend" who shaped modern Nevada

Nevada Yesterdays

Paul Laxalt served as Nevada's governor and U.S. senator, championed Ronald Reagan's rise, and left a legacy that transformed Nevada politics.

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Jerry Lewis and Las Vegas: A bond that lasted nearly 70 years

Nevada Yesterdays

From his partnership with Jerry Lewis to the Rat Pack, the Sands, and the MGM Grand, Dean Martin was a Las Vegas fixture for decades. Host Michael Green traces the career of the laid-back crooner.

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Remembering Marydean Martin: Librarian and Community Builder

Nevada Yesterdays

From UNLV's first library in 1957 to co-founding Joyce and Martin Advertising, Marydean Martin shaped southern Nevada for decades. Remembering a librarian, philanthropist, and community builder.

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The Beatles in Sin City

Nevada Yesterdays

In August 1964, The Beatles played Las Vegas's Convention Center after Stan Irwin of the Sahara Hotel took a chance on the Fab Four. Up to 16,000 fans attended, launching the era of arena entertainment in Las Vegas.

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Sammy Davis Jr. and the other side of Vegas: Part 2

Nevada Yesterdays

Sammy Davis Jr. headlined the Las Vegas Strip but faced segregation, mob threats, and violence offstage. Part 2 of his Las Vegas story.

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Sammy Davis Jr. and the other side of Vegas: Part 1

Nevada Yesterdays

Sammy Davis Jr. headlined the Las Vegas Strip but faced segregation, mob threats, and violence offstage. Part 1 of his Las Vegas story.

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The rise and influence of Senator Pat McCarran

Nevada Yesterdays

Pat McCarran was Nevada's first native-born U.S. Senator and its most powerful 20th-century politician. Learn how he rose from underdog to Nevada Senator.

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Who figured out what happens in Vegas? Meet the man who found out

Nevada Yesterdays

Rossi Ralenkotter spent 45 years at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, creating the studies that shaped tourism strategy and helping land the city's biggest events.

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Frank Sinatra: The Las Vegas Story

Nevada Yesterdays

Frank Sinatra's relationship with Las Vegas spanned decades—from his 1951 Desert Inn debut during career lows to leading the Rat Pack's legendary Summit at the Sands. His story intertwines with the city's own rise.

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Did the UNLV President who clashed with Tarkanian change UNLV for the better?

Nevada Yesterdays

Robert Maxson clashed with Jerry Tarkanian—but he also transformed UNLV. This episode of "Nevada Yesterdays" explores Maxson's complicated legacy.

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Remembering Selma Bartlett: The woman who helped build Henderson

Nevada Yesterdays

Selma Bartlett made her mark on southern Nevada. When she died recently just before her 98th birthday, she was remembered for doing a lot to build Henderson and Nevada State University.

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Seventeen Circles Down the Mountain on Nevada's Virginia & Truckee Railroad

Nevada Yesterdays

The story of Nevada's Virginia and Truckee Railroad, built in 1869 to transport Comstock silver. Learn how financier William Sharon bluffed counties into funding "the crookedest railroad in the world," featuring 17 circles down the mountain.

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How Jimmy Carter's FBI Director, William Webster, changed Las Vegas

Nevada Yesterdays

FBI Director William Webster's controversial Nevada legacy: Operation Yobo stings, mob prosecutions, and the impeachment of Judge Harry Claiborne divided Las Vegas.

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From The Vault: How Nevada got the first recreation area, but became one of the last to get a national park.

Nevada Yesterdays

Lake Mead became America's first national recreation area in 1964, drawing millions of visitors. However, Nevada had to wait until 1986 for its first national park—Great Basin National Park—after decades of battles with ranchers and mining interests who didn't want to give up the land.

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Why Can't Rancho High School Remember How Old It Is?

Nevada Yesterdays

In 2025, Rancho High School celebrates. But is it celebrating its seventieth birthday, or its seventy-first?

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From The Vault: How Vegas Taught Liberace to Wear Sequined Hot Pants

Nevada Yesterdays

Liberace was called Mr. Showmanship. He may have invented the term … or maybe the term was invented for him.

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How The Las Vegas Sun Fought McCarthyism, Casinos, and Changed Nevada Politics

Nevada Yesterdays

June 21, 2025 marked a significant anniversary. On that day in 1950, Hank Greenspun took over a newspaper that became the Las Vegas Sun. Greenspun and the Sun have played a significant role in shaping our past and present.