In 1920 Famous Gangster Businessmen Ruled The Streets and Speakeasies

The world has a love affair with gangsters.

Thousands of people search for them on the web everyday, they rap about gangs and gangsters in popular music videos, make movies about all types of different gangsters.

Rich ones, poor ones, good ones, bad ones, Japanese, British. . . they're all cool.

Gangsters are big business.

When you look at it you have to ask yourself:

"Why are people so captivated by gangsters?"

These guys kill people after all.

Gangsters remind us of how our lives could have turned out if things had been a little different.

If only you drove a Cadillac El Dorado instead of a Toyota minivan.

If only you got to whack people, make big deals, wear nice suits, and get respected for being yourself, rather than sitting at your desk, take crap from your boss, and get your reports done by the end of the week.

If only you didn't have to go home and get thrown up on by the baby, do the dishes, worry about money, and all the little everyday things that we all do but loathe.

Gangsters don't do these things

Their biggest worries are making sure they get respected, staying loyal to their friends, and not getting whacked.

Gangsters live by a special set of rules. . . That's why we love 'em.

They stimulate that "bad" guy all of us have hidden inside. The same thing that made us play cops and robbers when we were kids, or act like tough guys when we were teenagers.

Now as adults, we watch The Sopranos on T.V. or The Godfather Trilogy, at our best we buy a diamond pinky ring, or a Brooks Brothers suit.

We admire from a safe distance and think about what could have been. . .

Alphonse Capone Second Hand Furniture Dealer 2220 South Wabash Avenue

Capone's Business Card

Famous Gangsters and Al Capone: The Furniture Dealer

Beginning with the prohibition, in 1920 famous gangster gentlemen like Al Capone became very visable in the public's eyes.

At this time Chicago was "the wettest city in the world."

Prohibition gave rise to the powerful crime syndicates led by "Big" Jim Colosimo and John Torrio.

These were men who were making over half a million dollars a year off the booze, prostitution, and gambling industry. This was huge money.

A 21 year old flunky at Torrio's 4 Aces Club, called himself a secondhand furniture dealer, went by the name of Al, didn't stay a flunky for long.

Al Capone was destined to become the most famous and revered of all the 1920 famous gangster businessmen.

Return to Gangsters Page

Or return to the 1920's Homepage