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Alphonse was born on January 17th 1899 in Brooklyn New York City.
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Al started to go to school at age 5. He went to a public school in Brooklyn.
(Picture form Timetoast.com) -
In 1913 at the age of 14 Alphonse was expelled because a teacher hit him and he hit the teacher back. He never went back to school.
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After dropping out of school Al met Johnny Torrio who was a Gangster. Johnny taught Capone how to be a man.
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Al joined Johnny Torrios street boys gang, this later became the five point gang.
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Johnny Torrio moved to Chicago. In 1920 he sent for Capone who transferred to Chicago too.
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In 1925 Johnny retires. Al finally becomes the crime lord of Chicago running gambling to prostitution. Gunning down rival gangs to expand his territory. (Picture from machinegunboards.com)
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Capone relocates to another city in Chicago, Cicero, with his brothers to infiltrate police departments and to try to take lead positions in Cicero.
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Al went through a lot to get elected he kidnapped election workers and threatened people voting with violence.
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Al asked an old friend named Frankie Yale to help him smuggle huge quantities of bootleg whiskey into Chicago. "Some call it bootlegging. Some call it racketeering. I call it a business." This lead to Capone sending his men to attack enemies at a Christmas party.
(Picture from http://piperhoudini.com/adonis-club-massacre/) -
One of Al's friends, Jack Guzik, was assaulted so Al tracked the assaulter down and killed the shooter in a bar. Because there was barely any witnesses, he got away with it.
(Picture from www.findagrave.com/memorial/2653/jack-guzik) -
Capone and his friend McGurn planned a massacre of their rival, Bugs Moran. Moran and his men were shot by Al's men posing as police officers. Unfortunately, Bugs was not killed.
(Chicago Tribune Historical Photo) -
In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that a bootlegger had to pay income tax on his illegal bootlegging business. "They can’t collect legal taxes from illegal money," was Capone's response. Eliot Ness was able to find enough evidence to convict Capone on tax evasion and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
(Picture from Ohio Historical Society) -
Capone was sent to the famous Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. His sentence was reduced to 6 1/2 years for good behavior.
(Picture from the National Parks Organization) -
Capone's health started to decline in prison. Al Capone died on January 25, 1947 of cardiac arrest at the age of 48. He was at his home with his wife by his side when he died.
