
1920s
January 16, 1920 - After passing as law the previous year, Prohibition went into effect in 1920. This made the making of, sales, possession or transportation of alcohol a crime in the United States. Immediately, hundreds of street hoods began to fill the vacuum. It would become the largest period of growth for the mob.It was also the most violent as gangs killed each in the streets of New York and Chicago on a daily basis.
January 1925 - In the midst of a violent war between the Northside Gang and the Southside Gang in Chicago, Southside leader Johnny Torrio is shot but survives. The shaken boss steps down and makes his right hand man Al Capone the new boss. Capone would go on to become the richest boss ever, and one of the most violent.
February 14, 1929 - Capone’s gang carries out the most infamous mafia ambush of all time, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Seven Northside gangsters are gunned down after a police raid, but it turned out the cops were Capone’s gang. They lined the seven gangsters up against the wall and sprayed them with machine gun fire, essentially putting an end to the Northside Gang. It would also be the start of a massive federal investigation on Capone.
1930s
March 13, 1931 - Al Capone is charged with 22 counts of tax evasion. Capone attempted a plea bargain but the judge threw it out and the case went to a trial. Later that year, he was convicted on 5 of the charges and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Capone did part of his sentence in Alcatraz where he was stabbed. Capone’s health quickly deteriorated due to syphilis.
April 15, 1931 - Joe “The Boss” Masseria is invited to a Coney Island restaurant by his lieutenant Charles “Lucky” Luciano. After a delicious meal, Lucky excused himself to use the restroom, at which time Albert Anastasia, Vito Genovese and “Bugsy” Siegel burst in and killed Masseia. This ended the Castellammarese War, and began Luciano’s ascent to the top.
September 10, 1931 - In a move that seals his New York takeover, Luciano has the boss of bosses, Salvatore Maranzano murdered. Maranzano was the arch enemy of Masseria and considered an aged “Mustache Pete” style boss who would never let the mob reach its true capabilities. Lucky went on to create the Commission and established a five family structure by the end of 1931.
December 5, 1933 - Prohibition is officially repealed. By this time, the mafia had diversified its earning streams. Even with the loss of bootlegging, they still had labor racketeering, loansharking, bookmaking, drug trafficking and a host of other rackets. Some of the old school prohibition gangsters faded out but the Italian mafia kept prospering.
October 23, 1935 - Arthur Fleggenheimer aka “Dutch Schultz” is shot and killed. Dutch was a massively influential bootlegger who became a target of FBI special prosecutor Thomas Dewey. Scultz decided he was going to have Dewey killed. When he presented his idea to Luciano and Meyer Lansky, they turned it down. Dutch said he would do it without them, he was killed days later.
June 7, 1936 - Lucky Luciano was convicted of pandering in connection with a large prostitution ring. Many doubted the validity of witness statements, but Lucky was given a 30 year sentence. After helping the US military with intelligence, his sentence was commuted, but he was then deported back to Italy. Luciano soon took up headquarters in Havana, Cuba.
October 10, 1938 - After exhausting his appeals, Lucky Luciano officially steps down as family boss. He names the very capable Frank Costello as the new boss. One person very unhappy about the choice was former acting boss Vito Genovese, who was on the lam in Italy. Genovese was eager to make his move but it would be almost a decade before he returned to the United States.
1940s
November 12, 1941 - The body of Abe “Kid Twist” Reles is found six stories below the window to his room at the Half Moon Hotel in Coney Island. Reles had been under 24/7 police protection because he was a former Murder Inc. hitman who had been testifying against his partners. Reles helped to put seven Murder Inc. members in the electric chair, and was soon to testify against Anastasia, who got away.
June 10, 1946 - After beating a murder charge, Vito Genovese is back in New York. Recognizing the threat of Genovese, Costello does not give him a spot in the Luciano Family hierarchy. Genovese would have had Costello killed right then, but Costello was very well protected and one of the most influential men in the mafia. Vito started biding his time.
December 20-26 1946 - Luciano calls for a conference with all of the mafia bosses around the country. It was held in Havana, Cuba. They discussed mafia politics. Luciano ordered Genovese to stand down in a tense private meeting. Another subject was the floundering Las Vegas mobster Bugsy Siegel, who blew millions of the mafia’s dollars. His fate was sealed after the Havana Conference.
January 25, 1947 - After years of struggling with the effects of syphilis, Capone had a stroke on January 22 and died 3 days later. Because of the terrible mental and physical condition he was in, he had been granted a compassionate release years earlier. He spent his last years with his family in his Palm Island, Florida mansion.
June 20, 1947 - After failing miserably in his Las Vegas mafia funded Flamingo Hotel skim operation, Bugsy Siegel was killed on the orders of the Commission. The former Murder Inc. hitman was relaxing at the home of his girlfriend Virginia Hill when bullets came firing through the window. The murder was never solved and many speculate that Hill may have been in on the setup.
1950s
April 1951 - Mangano Family boss Vincent “The Executioner” Mangano disappears and soon his brother Philip is murdered. The killing was ordered by his underboss Albert Anastasia, who grew bored of his position and tired of dealing with Mangano, who he looked down on. The killings caused dissention in the Commission but no one made a move on Anastasia for several years.
March 8, 1952 - The murder of Arnold Schuster shocks the nation. Scuster was a citizen who turned in famous bank robber Willie Sutton. Schuster’s eyes were shot out. The killing was ordered by none other than Anastasia, who was disgusted by the story. This caused more unease with the other bosses, but again, no one was crazy enough to take on Anastasia at this time.
May 2, 1957 - A hulking young hood named Vincent “The Chin” Gigante shoots Frank Costello, the boss of the Luciano Family. The shooting was ordered by Vito Genovese, the disgruntled former acting boss who was making a move to take over the family. It worked, as Costello not only stepped down, but then failed to identify his shooter to the police.
October 25, 1957 - After being involved in the deaths of hundreds of men, Anastasia himself met mafia justice. As “The Lord High Executioner” settled in for a shave at the Park Sheraton, two masked shooters burst in and emptied their guns into the feared mob boss, killing him on sight. It is believed that the two masked men were “Crazy Joe” Gallo and Carmine “The Snake” Persico. Carlo Gambino then took over the family.
November 14, 1957 - The heads of the American mafia in all major cities were called to a meeting by the ambitious new boss of bosses, Vito Genovese. The summit took place in Apalachin, New York. Local law enforcement quickly noticed the fancy cars and well dressed mob bosses rolling into town. Dozens of them were arrested and charged with conspiracy.
April 4, 1959 - Vito Genovese is convicted of narcotics trafficking. After the Apalachin debacle, no one was feeling bad for Vito. In fact, it is widely believed that Vito was set up for the fall by none other than Lucky Luciano. Genovese continued to call the shots from behind bars, and ordered at least four murders over the next couple years.
1960s
February 27, 1961 - In a bold move, the crew of “Crazy Joe” Gallo abducts four of Joe Profaci’s men, including his underboss. They wanted a bigger piece of the family rackets in return for the hostages. Profaci agreed but after the release of the four men, Profaci reneged on his promise and a family war was underway. Luckily for Profaci, Joey Gallo was sent to prison that same year.
January 26, 1962 - Lucky Luciano, the brilliant mastermind who created the American mafia, dies of a heart attack. He had been working on a film about his life before his passing. When his body was sent back to New York for burial, over 2,000 people showed up to mourn the fallen mob boss. Carlo Gambino delivered the eulogy for his friend Lucky.
October 1963 - Joe Valachi, a Genovese Family soldier, becomes the first made man to ever testify about the mafia. He discussed the mafia structure, its initiation ritual and some past murders. His testimony before a committee did not lead to any convictions but he gave the government and the American people an inside look at this mythical organization.
November 23, 1963 - The country is shocked when president John F. Kennedy is assassinated while his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. The shooter Lee Harvey is then shot while being transported by police by Jack Ruby. Ruby had heavy ties to the mafia and although the Warren Commission decided that he acted alone, many people to this day feel the mafia was responsible for the Kennedy assassination.
January 30, 1968 - A car bomb blows off the leg of attorney John Fitzgerald, who was representing Boston mob turncoat Joe “The Animal” Barboza. Barboza was a freelance hitman who had done work for the New England mafia. Barboza told a ton of lies, and as a result, several men were convicted of crimes including murders that they did not commit.
February 14, 1969