The History of Alcatraz

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Home to the likes of Al Capone and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, Alcatraz was once the jewel in the American prison system. The wind-swept island fortress was the final stop for the nation's most dangerous criminals and was thought to be escape-proof - at least, until one night in June 1962, when three men on an improvised raft slipped into the icy waters of San Francisco Bay, never to be seen again.

President Donald Trump has said that he is determined to reopen this notorious prison, so today we're revisiting this episode, Jolene Babyak, a historian of Alcatraz and author of 'Breaking The Rock', to give you a potted history of this notorious penitentiary.

Produced by James Hickmanna and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's been 80 years since World War II came to an end in Europe.
0:05.0	And Wondry is marking the anniversary with three brand new seasons of British Scandal, The Spy Who and Legacy.
0:12.4	In our podcast, British Scandal, we uncover the bizarre tale of William Joyce, dubbed Lord Hawhor,
0:18.8	the plummy voice traitor who became Hitler's favourite broadcaster.
0:22.7	His radio catchphrase, Germany calling, reached millions of British listeners. But behind the
0:27.8	Mike, Joyce's loyalties were anything but British. In the latest season of The Spy Who,
0:34.7	we open the file on Hardy Amies, the spy who dressed the queen.
0:39.4	Fashion designer Hardy Amies lives in two worlds, one of elegance where he dresses Hollywood
0:45.0	icons and royalty, and another in the shadows, where he orchestrates assassinations in
0:51.0	Nazi-occupied Belgium.
0:53.0	And in our podcast, Legacy, we're talking about Joseph Stalin, a murderous dictator who saved
0:59.2	the world from another murderous dictator.
1:01.8	The man who defeated Hitler, but also the man who oversaw the deaths of millions of his own people.
1:07.7	How did he get away with it? And why is he so popular in Russia today?
1:11.7	So whether it's a double agent, a dictator or a disgraced broadcaster,
1:16.4	get stuck into Wonderry's VE Day specials from British Scandal, The Spy Who and Legacy.
1:22.4	Find them wherever you listen to podcasts or binge the full seasons early and ad-free on One-3 Plus.
1:36.3	On the night of the 11th of June, 1962, in Alcatraz, the isolated island maximum security prison, in the bay just off San Francisco,
1:52.2	an escape attempt is underway. Frank Morris, John and Clarence Anglin have spent over a year
2:00.7	secretly planning it.
2:02.7	They have fashioned tools from items like spoons and saw blades to dig through the concrete
2:08.4	walls of their selves. These holes opened up into a utility corridor, and on this night
	...

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