Who was Al Capone? His career path to becoming a boss Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (New York City, January 17, 1899 – Palm Beach, January 25, 1947) was an Italian-American businessman and gangster who led a criminal group that managed various criminal activities, such as gambling, loan sharking, prostitution, and, primarily, the trade and smuggling of alcohol during the Prohibition era in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Co-founder of the Chicago Outfit (which, in its time, was the largest exponent of the American mafia in the Midwestern United States), he is considered by many to be the greatest gangster in American history. Capone was known by the nickname "Scarface," due to a scar on his face obtained in a fight during his adolescence. He was called "Snorky" by his closest friends, a term for someone who dresses well. New York City Capone initially became involved with small gangs, including the Junior Forty Thieves and the Bowery Boys. Later, he joined the Brooklyn Rippers and then the powerful Five Points gang, based in Lower Manhattan. During this period, he was employed and mentored by Frankie Yale (January 22, 1893 – July 1, 1928) at a dance hall and bar in Coney Island called the Harvard Inn. In 1918, a young Al Capone was working as a bouncer when he inappropriately flirted with or made an offensive comment to a woman named Lena Galluccio. Her brother, Frank Galluccio, a local petty criminal and war veteran, became furious. Galluccio attacked Capone with a razor, slashing the left side of Capone's face three times. Capone required approximately 80 stitches and was left with permanent scars; the injuries earned him the nickname "Scarface," which Capone detested. When Capone was photographed, he would hide the left side of his face, marked by scars, saying the injuries were from war. Ironically, Capone supposedly hired Galluccio as one of his bodyguards. Move to Chicago In 1919, Capone left New York for Chicago at the invitation of his godfather Jonny Torrio (January 20, 1882 – April 16, 1957), who had been brought by crime boss James "Big Jim" Colosimo as an enforcer. Vincenzo Colosimo (February 16, 1878 – May 11, 1920), known as James "Big Jim" Colosimo or "Diamond Jim," was an Italian-American mob boss who emigrated from Calabria in 1895 and built a criminal empire in Chicago based on prostitution, gambling, and extortion. Capone started in Chicago as a bouncer at a brothel, which is believed to be the most likely place where he contracted syphilis. Capone knew he was infected at an early stage and the timely use of Salvarsan could probably have cured the infection, but apparently he never sought treatment. Salvarsan is an antibiotic introduced in the early 1910s as the first effective treatment for infectious diseases such as syphilis. Torrio took over Colosimo's criminal empire after the latter's assassination on May 11, 1920, with Capone as his right-hand man. In 1923, Capone purchased a two-story building with two apartments and six rooms, on a double lot, built in 1905, at 7244 South Prairie Avenue in the Park Manor neighborhood of Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago, for $5,500 ($94,730 today in 2025). Torrio was cautious about getting involved in gang wars and attempted to negotiate territorial agreements between rival criminal groups. The North Side Gang, led by Dean O'Banion, suffered attacks from the Genna brothers, who were allies of Torrio. O'Banion discovered that Torrio was aiding the Genna invasion, despite his claims of being a peacemaker. In a fateful act, Torrio orchestrated O'Banion's assassination at his flower shop on November 10, 1924. This placed Hymie Weiss at the head of the gang. Weiss was a close friend of O'Banion, and the members of the North Side Gang prioritized revenge against his killers. Boss In 1923, Chicago elected reformist William Emmett Dever as mayor. This led mobsters Johnny Torrio and Al Capone to relocate the Chicago Mafia's base outside the city limits of Chicago to the suburban town of Cicero. An ambush in January 1925 left Capone shaken but unharmed. Twelve days later, Torrio was returning from a shopping trip when he was shot multiple times. After recovering, he effectively resigned and handed control to 26-year-old Capone, who became the new boss of an organization encompassing illegal breweries and a transportation network reaching as far as Canada, with political and police protection. Capone used more violence to increase revenue. Any establishment that refused to buy alcohol from Capone was frequently bombed, and up to 100 people died in these attacks during the 1920s. Capone was also responsible for the proliferation of brothels in the city. Capone frequently recruited members of the local Black community for his operations; a jazz fan, Capone also sent two bodyguards to accompany jazz pianist Earl Hines on a trip to the racist South of the United States. Capone wore tailored suits, enjoyed cigars, gourmet food and drink, and female company. He was particularly known for his extravagant and expensive jewelry. His favorite answers to questions about his activities were "I'm just a businessman, giving people what they want" and "All I do is satisfy a public demand." Capone had become a national celebrity and topic of conversation. Capone's driver was found tortured and murdered, and there was an assassination attempt against Weiss in the Chicago Loop. The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of 77 community areas recognized by the municipality. Located in downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest business district in North America, after Midtown Manhattan in New York City. On September 20, 1926, the North Siders opened fire with Thompson submachine guns and shotguns on the windows of the Hawthorne Inn restaurant. Capone escaped unharmed and asked for a truce, but negotiations failed. Three weeks later, on October 11, Weiss was killed outside the North Siders' headquarters, in the former O'Banion flower shop. The owner of the Hawthorne restaurant was a friend of Capone's and was kidnapped and killed by Moran and Drucci in January 1927. Capone became increasingly concerned about security and eager to get away from Chicago. As a precaution, he and his entourage would often suddenly appear at one of Chicago's train stations and buy an entire sleeping car on an overnight train to Cleveland, where they would spend a week in luxury hotel suites under false names. Alex