Al Capone is America's most famous gangster and the greatest symbol of the breakdown of law and order in the United States during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. His illegal activities make Chicago a lawless city. More than half a century after his death, his name remains a legend among urban gangsters, today very present in memories while most of his partners are forgotten. Alphonsus Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the fourth of nine children of Gabriele and Teresina Capone. Capone's childhood was as normal as any other child's. His father was a barber and his mother stayed home with all the children. They were a close-knit Italian family trying to excel in their new country. Like most immigrant families, Capone went to school until he was fourteen; he then began looking for work to increase his family's income. As a child, Capone was involved in "kid gangs" and soon after leaving school he joined a street gang named the South Brooklyn Ripers, then later joined the Five Point Juniors. It was through this gang that Capone was introduced to the infamous Frankie Yale. At just 18 years old, Capone went to work for Yale at the Harvard Inn as a bartender and, sometimes, as a bouncer when extra security was needed. One evening, while working at the inn, Capone made an inappropriate comment to a young woman. Her brother, Frank Gallucio, stood up to defend his sister. While fighting Capone, Gallucio pulled out a knife and cut Capone from his left ear to his mouth. The scar remained forever, which is how Capone was nicknamed Scarface. Shortly after the Capone fight, he met a pretty, middle-class blonde named Mary Coughlin, commonly known as Mae. She came from a background that was very...capable of returning to gang politics. In 1946, his doctor and a Baltimore psychiatrist, after examination, both concluded that Capone then had the mentality of a 12-year-old child. Capone spent the remainder of his years in quiet retirement at his estates in Miami, Florida while his health slowly deteriorated. On January 19, 1947, Capone suffered a stroke. After developing pneumonia, Capone died on January 25, 1947 of cardiac arrest at the age of 48. Al Capone will always be remembered as America's most famous gangster and the greatest symbol of the breakdown of law and order in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era. His illegal activities make Chicago a lawless city. Today, more than half a century after his death, his name remains a memory for urban gangsters, a memory very vivid today when most of his partners and enemies are forgotten..