1. On April 11, 1934, the city of Las Vegas received its official charter from the state of Nevada. Previously known as a small railroad town, Las Vegas began to flourish as a center for entertainment and tourism following the legalization of gambling in 1931.

2. On April 11, 1945, the Nevada State Legislature passed a bill providing financial support for the establishment of the Desert Research Institute (DRI). Today, DRI is a leading research center for environmental sciences, atmospheric physics, and renewable energy.

3. On April 11, 1960, the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge project was initiated. The bridge, which spans the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, was completed in 2010 and is the longest concrete arch bridge in the western hemisphere.

4. April 11, 1996 saw the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 2, the second of several missions to upgrade and repair the orbiting observatory. The mission was successful in restoring the telescope's vision to better than its original capabilities.

5. On April 11, 2014 the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, paving the way for legal recognition of same-sex relationships in the state. The ruling came six months before a US Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.