20 Mind-Blowing Facts About Al Capone

The Untouchables, Scarface and The St Valentine's Day Masscare all have one thing in common - they are just three of the tens of films about notorious gangster Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone. What's incredible about Al Capone is that he gained huge fame and notoriety in such a short space of time. After taking over the reins of Chicago's chief criminal syndicate once Johnny Torrio retired in 1925, Capone effectively controlled the entire city for the next seven years. During the height of Prohibition in the USA - when alcohol was completely outlawed - Capone ran a criminal empire that controlled gambling houses, race tracks, brothels, speakeasies (illegal drinking establishment), breweries and distilleries, as well as being heavily involved in bootlegging throughout Chicago. Yet Capone is far more complex a character than simply a violent and bloodthirsty ganglord who ran a criminal empire in Chicago. Few criminals are quite as a fascinating as Al Capone. For this is a man who earned the nickname "Scarface" after being involved in a bar fight when he insulted a woman, someone who orchestrated the murder of nine rival gang members during the St Valentine's Day massacre - and who, bizarrely, was actually a dedicated philanthropist who provided free milk to Chicago's schoolchildren. So here are 20 mind-blowing facts about notorious American gangster Al Capone.