The St. Valentine's Day Massacre: A Critical Event in Organized Crime

On February 14, 1929, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre occurs in Chicago as seven members of the Northside Gang are ambushed in a garage by gunmen posing as police officers. This notorious event leaves six gangsters dead, including Frank Gusenberg, while Frank himself is severely wounded but maintains a code of silence about his attackers even in his final moments. The massacre signifies not just a violent rivalry between organized crime factions, particularly the Northside Gang and Al Capone's Chicago Outfit, but also highlights the brutal consequences of unbridled bootlegging during Prohibition. The shocking nature of the killings and gruesome details that emerge in the aftermath galvanize public outrage, demanding governmental action against the rampant organized crime that has proliferated under the influence of Prohibition laws.