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FAMOUS GANGSTERS: Al Capone and The Kray Twins - 2 Books in 1 Featuring... *Al Capone*The Kray Twins 2 Great Books in 1! Al Capone Although he ultimately became notorious as a crime boss engaged in bootlegging, gambling and various other illegal activities and was named by the Chicago Crime Commission as 'Public Enemy Number 1', Al Capone's beginnings were decidedly humble. Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born on 17th January 1899 in Brooklyn, New York City. Although many people turn to crime to escape their poor background, this wasn't really the case with Al Capone. His parents were respectable people who emigrated from Italy to Austria-Hungary (now Croatia) in 1893 and then by ship to the U.S. Father Gabriele was employed as a barber while mother Teresa worked for some time as a seamstress. When they arrived in America, they already had two sons and Teresa was pregnant with a third child. They lived initially in a squalid tenement building near the Navy Yard, a generally rough and noisy area although the family managed to remain normal and law-abiding. Al Capone was born the fourth of nine children, one of whom died at the age of one. This was the beginnings of America's most prolific gangster. The Kray Twins London, East End, 1945. The East End of London in the 1940s was a post-war landscape. Poverty and crime were rife. People struggled to make ends meet and opportunities to escape were few and far between. Houses were cramped due to increased immigration and from the bombing during the war. Food was still scarce as rationing didn't end until 1954 and cheese production was slow for many years after. In addition to this the Suez crisis leads to a period of petrol rationing from late 1956 until May 1957. All of this leads to a feeling of unease about people's futures. No-one knew where the next full meal was coming from. The black market was in full force, although this was not a new phenomenon. The East End of London was a notorious breeding ground for criminals from as far back as the 17th century, so it wasn't limited to just the aftermath of the war causing social issues. The high levels of poverty in the area made it an easy way to make a living when jobs were scarce. This was perhaps the perfect recipe for the creation of the infamous criminal spree of the Kray twins.

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