Al Capone stands as the most infamous gangster in American history. You likely picture him in a pinstripe suit smoking a cigar, but his legacy involves more than just bootleg alcohol and violence. Interestingly, he viewed himself as a public benefactor who helped the poor during hard times. Furthermore, his downfall came from a calculator rather than a gun. Consequently, his life story remains a complex mix of brutality and strange kindness. Finally, let’s explore the true reality of the man they called Scarface.
Al Capone
Al Capone strongly lobbied for expiration dates on milk bottles. Reportedly, he pushed for this safety measure after a young relative became sick from drinking spoiled dairy.
Surprisingly, his older brother Richard Hart worked as a federal prohibition agent. Therefore, one brother smuggled illegal alcohol while the other actively hunted down bootleggers on the frontier.
He played the banjo in a prison band called the Rock Islanders while incarcerated at Alcatraz. Consequently, he wrote a love song titled Madonna Mia for his wife during his sentence.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt rode in Al Capone’s seized armored Cadillac on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. The Secret Service used the bulletproof vehicle because they did not have a safe car ready for the President immediately.
He opened a massive soup kitchen in Chicago during the Great Depression. Specifically, he fed over 2,200 unemployed people every day with beef stew and bread to improve his public image.
Close friends called him “Snorky” rather than Scarface. In the slang of the 1920s, this term meant a sharp dresser, which he preferred over the nickname that highlighted his injuries.
He claimed his famous facial scars came from fighting in World War I. However, he actually received the wounds during a bar fight in Brooklyn after he insulted a woman.
His official business card stated that he was a “Used Furniture Dealer.” He used this humble title to hide his massive criminal empire from the general public.
Doctors concluded that he possessed the mental capacity of a 12-year-old child when he died. Tragically, untreated syphilis destroyed his brain and left him unable to function as an adult.
He earned approximately $100 million [€95 million] a year at the height of his power. Today, economists estimate this fortune would equal roughly $1.5 billion [€1.4 billion] in modern currency.
Authorities finally imprisoned him for tax evasion rather than murder. The government proved he owed back taxes, which became the only way they could legally lock him away.
He donated large sums of money to various local charities in Chicago. Therefore, many citizens viewed him as a modern-day Robin Hood who protected the community when the government failed.
Al Capone loved opera and often attended performances at the local theater. Furthermore, his favorite song was Vesti la giubba, a tragic aria about a clown who must smile while his heart breaks.
He never faced charges for the brutal St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Although everyone knew he ordered the hit, he conveniently stayed in Florida on that specific bloody morning.
His grave at Mount Carmel Cemetery receives fresh flowers and cigars from visitors every week. Even decades after his death, people travel from around the world to pay their respects to the crime boss.
