In October 1963, five armed men followed Harlem crime figure Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson down 7th Avenue with orders to kill him. The contract reportedly carried a $20,000 price tag and the weight of Vincent “the Chin” Gigante, a powerful figure in the Genovese crime family who wanted Johnson eliminated. The hit was planned with professional … Read more
A federal prosecutor stood before a jury in a Los Angeles courtroom in 1994 and announced something that had rarely been said in American legal history. This was one of the first cases to establish a documented connection between Colombian cartels flooding the United States with cocaine and black street gangs. The jury convicted, and … Read more
A Harlem precinct desk shook as police slammed Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson’s face into the wood. Witnesses leaned in, expecting blood or a violent reaction. Instead, the man at the center of the room held his composure, hands open on his knees and eyes steady. According to accounts of the incident, an officer demanded answers from … Read more
Witebsk, 23. Dezember 1943. Während sowjetische T-34 in Wellen gegen die deutschen Linien anrollen, schreibt eine einzige Panzerjägerbesatzung an der Ostfront Geschichte. Albert Ernst, Zugführer einer Panzerjägereinheit mit dem Nashorn-Selbstfahrlafette, vernichtet an diesem Morgen vierzehn feindliche Panzer in weniger als einer Stunde – ohne einen einzigen eigenen Verlust. Die Schlacht bei Witebsk im Winter 1943 … Read more
Abraham Lincoln is remembered as the Great Emancipator, but his views on racial equality were far more complicated than his legacy suggests. The 16th president opposed slavery, yet he did not believe in living alongside freed Black Americans. Instead, he pursued a plan to send emancipated slaves to a colony abroad—a place he envisioned calling … Read more
Melvin Purvis built his reputation as the FBI agent who brought down some of America’s most notorious bank robbers, yet his success ultimately cost him his career and left a legacy shadowed by mystery. The South Carolina native led the manhunts that resulted in the deaths of John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy … Read more
I didn’t call anyone that night. Not my son, not my brother, not even my sister who would have driven three hours to sit with my wife if I’d asked. I just sat in the car in our own driveway for forty-five minutes while my wife cried in the passenger seat and I let her. … Read more
On May 2, 1957, Frank Costello was shot in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building. The bullet grazed his scalp, and his attacker fled into the night. For Costello, it was an attempted coup, a signal that Vito Genovese no longer intended to wait for power. Costello avoided police and hospitals, and instead made … Read more
On the evening of November 18, 1952, 91 people packed a Harlem meeting hall built for 60 to attend the monthly gathering of the Harlem Merchants and Property Owners Association. The agenda included the winter coal contract, dues, sanitation pickups, and a late-added item marked simply as “insurance. ” Calvin Teague, a 63-year-old pharmacist who … Read more
Michael Salters was pronounced dead at Washington Hospital Center at approximately 1:00 a. m. on July 17, 1991. He was 32 years old and had been shot at least six times. The men who brought him to the hospital entrance drove away before anyone could ask questions. The Washington Post reported his death under the … Read more