St. Valentine's Day Massacre
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St. Valentine's Day Massacre Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
What was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
was the murder of 7 members of the George
"Bugs" Moran mob, who were machine-gunned
against a garage wall by rivals posing as
police.
When was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre?
The date of the
St. Valentine's Day Massacre was on February
14, 1929.
Where was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre?
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was at the
S.M.C Cartage Co. garage, 2122 N. Clark
Street, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois.
Who were the victims of the
St. Valentine's Day Massacre? The seven victims of
the St.
Valentine's Day Massacre were members of the “Bugs” Moran mob, known
mobster rivals and enemies of Al Capone's Chicago Mob. Their names
were Peter Gusenberg, Frank Gusenberg, Albert Weinshank, Adam Heyer,
John May, Reinhardt Schwimmer and James Clark.
What guns were used in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre?
The guns used in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
were identified as .45-caliber Thomson submachine guns. The Thompson
submachine gun was invented by John T. Thompson in 1919. The guns
used were the Colt M1921A & the other one was the Colt M1921AC as
manufactured by Colt Firearms in 1921. The Thompson had a variety of
nicknames such as the "Tommy Gun," the "Trench Broom," the "Chicago
Piano" and the "Chicago Typewriter.
Why was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
important?
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was
important as the publicity it attracted, together with graphic
photographs of the event, made Al Capone a national and
international celebrity. Newly-elected President Herbert Hoover
became determined to end the career of Al Capone and his Chicago
Mafia. In 1930 J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the Prohibition
Bureau (later called the FBI) appointed Eliot Ness to select an
elite squad of special Prohibition enforcement agents to take
down Capone. The squad became known as "The Untouchables" and within
6 months their investigations ultimately led to the conviction of Al
"Scarface" Capone and other Chicago gangsters involved in organized
crime.
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre led to the
establishment of the Wickersham Commission on May 20, 1929
(1929-1931) that reported that Prohibition was not
working and resulted in the repeal of the 18th Amendment
to the Constitution and the end of bootlegging in America.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
History and
Facts for kids
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sheet contains the history with interesting facts and information on St. Valentine's Day Massacre
History and Facts
about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 1:
Chicago in the 1920's became the base
for the illegal activities of rival gangs of mobsters
and gangsters. Until 1920 gangsters had mainly limited
their activities to prostitution, theft, extortion and
gambling. The Prohibition Era then provided mobsters
with the illegal, and highly lucrative crime of
'bootlegging' and the vast profits to be made from
'speakeasies'.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
2: Violent gang warfare was rife and the
hostility between gang leaders Al "Scarface" Capone and
George “Bugs” Moran led to the infamous 1929 St.
Valentine's Day Massacre.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 3:
Al Capone was the crime boss of the notorious
Chicago Mafia, also known as the Outfit or the Chicago Mob who
operated in the south side of Chicago. George "Bugs" Moran was the
boss of the North Side Chicago Gang.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 4:
Al Capone wanted to extend his territory to cover the
whole of Chicago and double the $60 million per year he was raking
in from his activities. He certainly had a motive for ordering
the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 5:
The garage on Clark Street was used as a
distribution point for north side liquor and often frequented by
"Bugs" Moran. It was believed that "Bugs" Moran had been 'set up' by
Capone associates to meet at the garage with a promise of a stolen
shipment of whiskey. However, George "Bugs" Moran was not in the
garage when the slaughter occured.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 6:
"Bugs" Moran, together with his
bodyguards Willie Marks and Ted Newberry, was due at the
garage for the delivery on 14th February. However, they
had seen a police car outside the garage and believing a
'shakedown' was in operation drove straight passed.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 7:
The 'police car' was part of the
audacious plan to take out the gangsters in the garage.
Five men were in the police car, two of them in police
uniforms and three in civilian clothing. A light snow
was falling and the temperature was freezing on this
infamous day on 14th February 1929.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 8:
Inside the garage were a group of
"Bugs" Moran men. James
Clark (Moran's brother-in-law), Frank and Peter
Gusenberg who were delivery drivers for bootleg
liquor, mobsters Adam Heyer and Al Weinshank, Johnny
May, an ex-safecracker who had been hired by "Bugs"
Moran as an auto mechanic and Reinhardt Schwimmer, a
young optometrist who was a 'hanger-on'.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
9: Johnny May was working on a truck
accompanied by his German Shepherd dog, named Highball,
who was tied to the bumper of the truck.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
10: At approximately 10.30am on February
14, 1929, the five men got out of the police car and
went into the garage on Clark Street.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 11:
The two fake police officers, carrying 'tommy
guns', ordered the men to line up against the wall. Moran's
men did not put up a struggle, assuming they were going to be
searched in a routine 'bust'.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 12:
Two of the killers opened fire with the Thompson
sub-machine guns, spraying the men with a shower of deadly bullets.
Each victim recieved atleast 15 shots each.
Continued...
History and Facts
about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Facts
about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre for kids
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History and Facts
about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 13:
Six of the seven men were immediately. Despite 22
bullet wounds, Frank Gusenberg survived the attack, but died three
hours after arriving at Alexian Brothers Hospital.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 14:
The Alsatian dog, Highball, also
survived the attack.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 15:
After the attack, the uniformed
'police officers' marched their plain-clothed
accomplices out the front door of the garage with their
hands raised, just in case anyone was watching. The hit
men piled into the 'police car' and drove away.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 16:
Nobody was convicted of the murder.
"Bugs" Moran immediately accused Al Capone and the
Chicago Mafia of the murders. But their was no concrete
evidence.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 17:
Alibi: Al Capone was in Florida at
the time of the massacre and had an air-tight alibi.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact 18:
The blonde alibi: "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn, a key member of the
Chicago Outfit, was questioned, but never arrested. His
girlfriend, Louise Rolfe, vouched for him and said that
they had spent Valentine's Day together in bed until 1
o'clock that afternoon. Louise Rolfe was nicknamed "The
blonde alibi".
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
19: "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn was found
murdered on February 15, 1936 seven years and one day
after the massacre. A Valentine was left in the lobby of
the bowling alley where he was murdered
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
20: The press instantly picked up on the
violent crime and published graphic photographs of the
killings. The newspapers dubbed it the "St. Valentine's
Day Massacre." The story appeared on front pages around
the country, making Al Capone a nationwide celebrity. He
photo was even featured on the cover of Time Magazine on
March 24 , 1930
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
21: The publicity and speculation
surrounding Al "Scarface" Capone also brought him the
unwanted attention of the federal government. J. Edgar Hoover,
director of the Prohibition Bureau, understood the publicity
value of taking out Al "Scarface" Capone. J. Edgar
Hoover and the newly-elected
President Herbert Hoover were determined to end the
career of Al Capone.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
22: A special squad of agents (The
Untouchables) headed by Eliot Ness brought down Al
Capone, not for his violent crimes but for tax evasion.
On November 24, 1931 he was sentenced
to 11 years in jail, fined
$50,000 and charged $215,000 (plus interest) due on back taxes.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Fact
23: Neither Al Capone, nor any other
gangsters, were convicted of the St. Valentine's Day
Massacre. To this day it remains the most famous
unsolved crime in American history.
History and Facts
about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
History and Facts
about
St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Prohibition
For visitors interested in the history of
Prohibition and American gangsters of the period refer to the following articles:
St. Valentine's Day Massacre - President Coolidge Video
The article on the
St. Valentine's Day Massacre provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office.
The following Calvin Coolidge video will give you
additional important facts and dates about the
political events experienced by the 30th American
President whose presidency spanned from August 2,
1923 to March 4, 1929.
St. Valentine's Day Massacre History
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Interesting Facts about St. Valentine's Day Massacre for kids
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History of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre for kids
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St. Valentine's Day Massacre in US history
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The St. Valentine's Day
Massacre
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Fast, fun facts about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
● The Prohibition era and the rise of
gangsters
● The St. Valentine's Day Massacre history for schools,
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