From 1920 to 1933 the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution imposed a nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. This led to organized crime spreading like a cancer throughout the country. Click NEXT to view some of the eras most distinguished crime bosses.
Out Gunned
More often than not, police were hobbled by inadequate tools and training which made gangland clashes involving increasingly sophisticated weaponry of the prohibition era especially deadly.