Rare Facts You Didn't Know About Al Capone - Part 1

In 1920, the United States passed prohibition and banned the sale of alcoholic beverages. While the supply of liquor was shut down, demand still existed and organized crime stepped in to fill the void. The age of the bootlegger had begun. Alfonse Gabriel Al Capone was 25 years old when he became the boss of the Chicago rackets. One of the 20th century's most infamous cultural figures, by the time he was done, Capone's name would become practically synonymous with organized crime itself. In this blog we'll tell some rare facts you didn’t know about Al Capone. 

1)Capone Started From Rags -

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If there's one thing Americans love, it’s a good rags to riches story, even if the middle of that story happens to be filled with kidnapping, bootlegging, and whacking guys. Along those lines, Al Capone started from near the bottom of society. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1899.His parents were Italian-American immigrants and the family lived in a rundown tenement near the naval yards. As such, the area was always rife with sailors and soldiers searching for booze and prostitutes. However, Capone’s roots weren't quite what you would have imagined. His father, originally from Naples, was cosmopolitan and highly educated. The family was considered professional and respectable. Indeed, for the early years of liberal himself had no trouble walking the straight and narrow path. It wasn't until his teen years that his dangerous side began to emerge. He slowly began to transform into a delinquent at the age of 14.And at the age of 14 is reported to have hit female teacher in his school for which he was expelled. At the time, New York City was awash with street gangs, like the Hudson Dusters and the Gopher Gang.Gangster names used to be so cool.Capone joined up with the city's infamous Five PointsGang.He excelled at his work and eventually found his way into organized crime, via an association with Johnny Torrio,a powerful boss who,like Capone's father,hailed from Naples.

2) Al Capone's Underworld Nickname - Scarface

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Al Capone's underworld nickname was Scarface, which is so badass it literally inspired at least three movies all by itself.So how did he get it?Well, after getting kicked out of school,Capone found work as a bouncer in a local club called the Harvard Inn.The story goes that one night,while he was working the door,Al took a liking to a woman named Lena Galluccio. He offered to take her for a walk on the beach,but she wasn't interested.Not one to take no for an answer, Al kept after her and, later in the evening, shouted to her that he liked her backside.Al meant it as a compliment,but Lena's brother,Frank Galluccio,didn't take it as such.Frank wasn't as big as Al, but he did have a knife, which he used to carve Capone across the face, three times.It took 80 stitches to close the wounds.And the lines left behind would lay the groundwork for one of the most famous nicknames in the history of crime.

3) Had A Cadillac Customized For His Life Safety -

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Al Capone liked nice things.Besides his fondness for custom-made suits,when Capone started making bank,he spent a great deal of it on his clothes.In fact, Capone was known to shell out in the neighborhood of $500 for his outfits.It might not seem like a lot, but converted from 1920 era prices,that's the modern day equivalent of almost $7,000.Of course, if you're spending that much on your outfit,you probably wouldn't want to see it get all ripped up with bullet holes and stained with gangster juice.Neither did Al.So to protect protective suits,and presumably also his life,he had a 1928 Cadillac V8 Town Sedan reinforced with armor plating.The car was loaded with 3,000 pounds of steel plates and bulletproof glass windows,essentially making it the equivalent of a tank.And in a twist that would make James Bond jealous,the car had a few other cool extras,including holes cut in the rear insides of the car,so that he and his henchmen could shoot back at attackers without having to come out from behind the armor.

4) Al Capone Accidentally Shot Himself -

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Golfing with the boss is an American tradition and the mob was no exception.Capone and his men loved to go golfing.And while they enjoyed the game,what they really enjoyed more was raising a little hell.The Capone Gang was reported to have drank heavily on the course and bet ridiculous amounts of money on almost anything.They were also known to keep guns in their golf bags,because when you were with a gangster in the 1920s Chicago,a shootout could break out at almost any time, anywhere.On one outing in September of 1928,Capone hit the links with fellow mobster Fred 'The Killer' Burke,Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik,and 'Machine Gun' Jack McGurn. Capone went searching through his bag for a particular club and accidentally grabbed his revolver.It fired a shot and Capone was rushed to St. Margaret's Hospital.He was registered under the assumed name L.Geary,to keep a low profile and, presumably,because he didn't want anyone to know how clumsy he was.

5) If Alive, He Would Have Been Worth More Than 1 Billion -

Capone spent money like it was water.He bought fancy suits,expensive jewels,high tech cars with armor and gadgets,and yet he never ran out of cash.Indeed, as a Chicago boss with interests in racketeering, gambling,prostitution, bootlegging,and vices of every imaginable kind,Capone was able to amass a staggering amount of money.In fact, Capone is believed to have earned in the area of $100 million a year.And that was in the 1920s. Adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars,Al Capone's fortune would today be worth somewhere north of $1.3 billion.Yes, that's billion with a B, making Al something like the Jeff Bezos of crime.

Well this was just part 1 of Rare facts you did't know about Al Capone!! There's more to come. Click on Part 2 to see other rare facts about Al Capone.And if you think we missed something about this notorious gangster, do tell us in the comments.We'll give your fact a shout-out. And don't forget to like,share and subscribe our blog.Do share them with your family and friends so that they can also learn about this rare facts.

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