In 1965, the Houston Astrodome opened as the first dome stadium and biggest indoor space in the world. On opening day, the sold-out crowd, which included President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, watched a Yankees-Astros baseball game.
In addition to sports, the stadium welcomed many entertainment events, including Elvis Presley, Evel Knievel, and Muhammad Ali, and quickly became the third most visited man-made attraction in the United States. The buzzing venue suddenly became vacant when the new modern NRG Stadium opened next door in 2002.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated people in New Orleans, the empty Astrodome served as a shelter to 25,000 displaced victims. After that tragedy, the Astrodome has sat empty for the past 14 years with its future still in limbo.