logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
50m 34s

The Rise & Fall of Al Capone

History Hit
About this episode

Al Capone is one of the most notorious gangsters in US history. His story of rags to riches, set against the backdrop of the prohibition era, is worthy of the many movies that it has inspired.


Violent mobster, genius businessman or semi-professional baseball player, who was the real Al Capone? To find out, Don speaks to Claire White, Director of Education at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.


Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for $1 per month for 3 months with code AMERICANHISTORY sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/ 


You can take part in our listener survey here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
America's Worst General
Who was the worst American army general of all time? We round off our month of military history by looking at the leaders who standout for all the wrong reasons. Don's guest is the wonderful Cecily Zander author of the upcoming 'Abraham Lincoln and the American West', and 'The Ar ... Show More
44m 14s
Jan 22
Origins of the First Amendment
The First Amendment of the US Constitution is just forty-five words long, but its impact has drastically shaped American life. For much of American history, the First Amendment was narrow, unevenly applied and frequently ignored, especially for those challenging the status quo. T ... Show More
44m 43s
Jan 19
America's Greatest General
Eisenhower, Washington, Greene, Grant. There have been thousands of Generals in the United States' Armed Forces. Picking out the best of the crop would be impossible, right?In this episode, Don is joined once again by Major Jonathan Bratten of the National Guard to sift through s ... Show More
46m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Hunting Pablo Escobar
<p>By the early 1990s, the Colombian city of Medellín was at the centre of the world's largest drug empire. The fearsome Medellín Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar, brought murder and mayhem to the city and the world for nearly two decades.</ ... Show More
29m 44s
Aug 2024
Lawrence of Arabia
<p>The famed British officer who fought alongside Arab guerrilla forces in WW1. Best known for his legendary exploits as an intelligence officer in the Middle East, Thomas Edward Lawrence was also an archaeologist, scholar and photographer. His life was one of adventure and espio ... Show More
59m 29s
Aug 2023
Charlie Chaplin
<p>The Golden Age of Hollywood was a place of pioneers, storytellers, ideas, westward expansion, money, politics and scandal- the story of Hollywood is the story of America itself.&nbsp;At the turn of the 20th century, Hollywood in Los Angeles was a dusty country hamlet, but soon ... Show More
46m 25s
Jun 2024
The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan
<p>With a sinister hierarchy of "grand wizards" and "dragons," hooded Klansmen concealed their identities as they unleashed a reign of terror on Black Americans and other minorities across America for almost a century.</p><br><p>Dan is joined by Professor Kristofer Allerfeldt fro ... Show More
37m 59s
Sep 2022
The Atomic Bomb & the Secret City
<p>In 1939 Franklin D Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein, warning him&nbsp;that the&nbsp;Nazis&nbsp;might be developing nuclear weapons. America has to act fast.</p><br><p>What follows is the creation of a secret city in the rural area of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Aroun ... Show More
31m 15s
Dec 2023
Say Hello To My Little Friend, Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he w ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 2024
The ‘Genius’ Killer
<p>The so-called 'Genius' Killer was a murderer who seemed to be both philosopher and psychopath, whose brain was one of the largest ever recorded. But was Edward Rulloff really as smart as all that?</p><br><p>Maddy tells Anthony the story of a husband who murdered his wife and c ... Show More
41m 6s