In the blood-soaked annals of Depression-era crime, one figure stands apart not for his stature but for his savagery. Standing just five feet four inches tall, with bright blue eyes and cherubic features, Lester Gillis – better known as “Baby Face Nelson” – killed more FBI agents than any criminal in American history. Born in […]
John Dillinger and the Rise of Public Enemies in the 1930s
The 1930s were a time of great turmoil and transition in America. The Jazz Age had ended, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) pushed through the repeal of Prohibition, but the country was in the grip of the Great Depression. Amidst this backdrop, a new breed of criminal emerged. These were not the pseudo-businessmen of […]
Mafia, Spies, and Anarchists: The Bulldog Detective’s Greatest Cases
In the early 20th century, William J. Flynn was one of the most famous detectives in America. As head of the U.S. Secret Service and later the Bureau of Investigation (forerunner of the FBI), Flynn led the chase for counterfeiters, took on the first Mafia crime family, pursued German spies during World War I, and […]