#41: The Great Train Robbery

Apr 2, 2020

In 1963, a criminal gang stole £2 million from a Royal Mail train in just 15 minutes. The suspects were eventually tracked down through fingerprints on a game of monopoly. Ronnie Biggs, one of the robbers, escaped to Brazil but was eventually arrested and served more prison time. The Great Train Robbery had a significant impact on British culture, inspiring pop culture references and a manhunt.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

The Great Train Robbery

01:45 • 2min

The Investigation at Leather Slade Farm

03:18 • 7min

The Escape and Life of Ronnie Biggs

10:02 • 4min

The Impact of the Great Train Robbery on British Culture

13:40 • 3min

In 1963 a criminal gang managed to stop a Royal Mail train, steal £2 million pounds in cash (£55 million in today's money), and escape. It took them just 15 minutes.

Today we tell the story of this infamous robbery, and the hunt to find the men who did it.

The train carrying all the money
Why was it carrying so much money?
The story of the robbery
The hunt for the suspects
The discovery of the farm
The Monopoly piece and the fingerprints
The arrest of the suspects
Who were the robbers?
The escape from jail
Ronnie Biggs in Brazil
The victim of the robbery
The Great Train Robbery in popular culture

Key vocabulary: Robbery, Equivalent, Thefts, Miss a trick, Fantastic, Royal Mail, Cash, Whole load, Circulation, Grabbed, Harsh, Tied up, Carriage, Detach, Track, Rear, Routine, Gang, Robbers, Overpowered, Embankment, Accomplices, Fellow, Getaway, A matter of, Thieves, Alerted, On the hunt for, Robbery, Squad, Underground, Associates, Infamous, Tip-off, Coming and going, Abnormal, Deserted, Be onto something, Wipe sth down, Fingerprints, Clues, Track down, Tracking, Consisted, Motley crew, Threaten, The muscle, Man inside, Get away with something, Passed away, Sentence, Most certainly, Escapee, Fled, Plastic surgery, Extradition, Treaty, Deport, Tried, Caipirinhas, Deteriorated, Longed to, CommittedServe, Compassionate, Grounds, Romanticised, Victim, Iron bar, Severe, Victimless, Theft, Eclipsed, Pop culture, Lyrics, Manhunt, Inspire

Full transcript and key vocabulary available on the website www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/the-great-train-robbery

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Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية