20th Century Crime

Organised Crime in the 1920’s

What a time the 1920’s was, with the party atmosphere it was certainly a time of great criminal activity, with the prohibition laws in America and the world in an economic depression, people turned more and more to criminal activity, Organised criminals such as the American mobsters, and European crime syndicates thrived, most common people looked upon these organisations as heroes. Criminals like Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger were headliners of the era.

Martin Luther King

Born January 15th 1929 in Atlanta Georgia, Son of Martin Luther king Sr and Alberta Williams Kings. Martin Luther King Sr and Jr were both originally had the name Michael King, after a trip to Germany in 1934 Martin Luther King Sr wanted the name change to honor the German Prostant Preacher Martin Luther, The middle child of Three, older sister Willie Christine King and younger brother Alfred Daniel King. In 1939 Martin Luther King Jr sang with his church choir at the Atlanta Premier of Gone With The Wind.

When the Killing of Martin Luther King Shook the World

While many of the more spectacular 20th century crimes make great movies and make exciting headlines and stories, not all acts done by criminals have any social importance. But the killing of Martin Luther King is far more than just a senseless gunning down of a Baptist minister. It is safe to say that along with the assignation of John F. Kennedy and perhaps a few other incidents, King's murder may be one of the most influential events of the century.

The Stealing of the Mona Lisa

There are some 20th century crimes that are so exotic and amazing that they seem to be scripts for a fantastic movie even more than a real crime. The robbing of Fort Knox or the escape from Alcatraz

would fit in that description. And certainly, when it comes to a story of a fantastic crime that baffled authorities and that remains one of the most astounding feats of criminal genius, the stealing of the Mona Lisa has to rank as one of the best.

The Power of Organized Crime in America

There is something about the American mindset that occasionally makes heroes out of criminals. From Jessie James to Al Capone, as much as our law enforcement no doubt wishes it would not happen, infamous criminals fascinates the public. That quirk of the American psychology is one reason that organized crime is mixed into our culture as much as baseball and Christmas.
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The Legendary of Bonnie and Clyde

bonny and clyde It possible that in the history of 20th century crime, there may be no two bank robbers that achieved such a tremendous fan club as Bonnie and Clyde. These two criminals have been able to touch that place in the public imagination that adores notorious criminals in the same way that we have made heroes out of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Jessie James. Their stories have become full of myth and lore that captures our imaginations.

The Bloodiest Valentine Day 1929

Many prohibition era criminals have become folk heroes and topics of popular movies such as Pretty Boy Floyd

and Al Capone. But the rule of organized crime particularly in large urban cities like Chicago is well known. And the viciousness of the battles between warring factions of prohibition gangs was just as real and bloody as they are depicted to be in the movies. There may be no event that became more well known because it illustrated how brutal the war between the north side and south side Chicago crime lords had become than the St. Valentine's Day Massacre on February 14, 1929.

Cybercrime and How to Stop It.

The internet has been one of the most important technical innovations in history. The way we all have access to an entire world of information and entertainment right through our computers is nothing short of phenomenal. But as it often happens, anytime something that creates as much opportunity as the internet does comes along, so do the criminal element to exploit it for wrongdoing. "Cybercrime" is the buzzword that has been created to describe crimes that happen to good people through the internet. And while most cybercrime occurs quietly in an unnoticed way, it is one of the fastest growing kinds of criminal activity in the entire history of 20th century crime.

Crimes at the Highest Level of Government

Unfortunately, criminal activity is not just limited to what we commonly think of as the "criminal element". Many times, people who are at high levels of power and trust take advantage of the authority they have and commit crimes that can be every bit as destructive as any bank robber or car thief. In the early part of the 1970s, crime at high levels reached its zenith when the it was uncovered that criminal activity had been conducted by the President of the United States, Richard Nixon

and his staff and action would have to be taken to bring to justice those involved.

A Horrible Crime Carried Out by Children

In the annals of 20th century crime, there have been a lot of grisly or shocking crimes committed that have taken the public consciousness by surprise. But maybe no crime so shocked and appalled the nation as the Columbine murders carried out by two young students against their fellow students at a high school on April 20, 1999. Maybe it was because it was so shocking for normal high school kids to strike out with such violence so suddenly.