There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts,

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

It's F 14th, 1929. On a bitterly cold winter's morning in Chicago, a group of six men wearing pinstripe, suits, and fedoras have gathered inside a garage on the north side of town.

A seventh man, a mechanic, lies on his back beneath the chassis of a truck.

These men are all members or associates of a criminal organization called the Northside Gang.

They use this garage as a safe house to receive shipments of bootlegged whiskey smuggled down from Canada.

One of these men is a young mobster named Frank Gosenberg.

Frank checks his watch.

Today's shipment is almost 20 minutes late.

Impatient, Frank taps the concrete floor with the polished toe of his wingtip.

Prohibition went into effect nine years ago.

The constitutional ban on alcohol made it illegal

to sell, manufacture, or transport booze, but it said nothing about drinking it. And after

Prohibition went into effect, Americans still craved their alcohol. They just needed to find a way

to get their hands on the stuff. The sudden demand for illegal alcohol led to the proliferation of organized crime

here in Chicago and across the country. With multiple groups vying for control of Chicago's

lucrative bootlegging operations, fierce competition quickly emerged. The biggest rivalry is between

the North Side Gang and the Chicago outfit, an organized crime syndicate run by a

notorious gangster named Al Capone. Frank Goosembourg is no fan of Capone, and neither are his

fellow gang members. If given the chance, Frank would gladly put a bullet between Capone's eyes.

...