In Italian, Mafia means “beauty, excellence, bravery”. Cosa Nostra means “our thing.”
On April 22, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona, four gunmen robbed the First National Bank of Arizona of $3.3 million. This was the largest bank robbery on record. Wearing Halloween masks and stocking hoods, the gunmen cleaned out a vault containing cash receipts from 27 other First National branches in Tucson.
John T. Scopes was a young biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who broke a state law forbidding the teaching of evolution. His 11-day trial in 1925 ended with his conviction and a fine of $100. Authorities later reversed the decision on a legal technicality. Prosecuting attorney William Jennings Bryan died five days after the trial…
The White Hand Society was a community group sponsored by Italian-American business leaders. It was organized in 1907 to oppose the work of the Black Hand and developed its own police force but sustained itself for only five years.
The throat-slashings of six prostitutes in London’s East End occurred between August and early November 1888. The identity of Jack the Ripper was never verified.
A Chicago overcoat is a 1920s underworld term for a coffin.