“Hello” Al Capone – Born 17 January 1899

Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone (January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate.

Capone became involved with gang activity at a young age after being expelled from school at age 14. In his early twenties, he moved to Chicago to make money smuggling illegal alcohol into the city during Prohibition. He also engaged in various other criminal activities, including bribery of government officials and prostitution.

Capone is also believed to have been involved in the 1929 Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, when seven rival gang members were executed.

Capone was convicted on charges of tax evasion in 1931 and sentenced to prison. He was released on parole in 1939.  In later life, he suffered mental and physical deterioration due to late-stage syphilis, which he had contracted in his youth. On January 25, 1947, he died from cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke.