Answer: 25
Al Capone’s rise is like watching a storm gather on the horizon—you sense it’s coming, but you have no idea how powerful it’s going to be until it’s too late. That’s Capone—this force of nature that hits the streets of Chicago in the 1920s, reshaping everything in his path.
He was born in Brooklyn in 1899, the son of Italian immigrants. Now, here’s the twist—not exactly what you’d expect: his father was a respectable barber, educated and well-read. But the streets Capone grew up on? That’s a different world. New York in the early 20th century is a hothouse of cultures, crime, and survival. Capone gets swept into this life, joining gangs at an early age, but he’s more than just a thug—he’s smart, strategic. By his late teens, Capone’s reputation starts to catch the attention of Johnny Torrio, a major player in organized crime who eventually becomes his mentor.
Then comes 1920, and it’s like someone threw gasoline on the fire. Prohibition hits. The government bans alcohol, and the entire country suddenly craves what’s illegal. Enter the bootleggers, the guys who’ll make sure America keeps drinking—at a price. Capone moves to Chicago under Torrio’s wing, and he’s not just another gangster anymore. Capone is learning how to play the game at a much higher level. It’s about logistics, alliances, bribes, and if necessary, eliminating rivals. Violence is part of the equation, but it’s calculated violence.
By 1925, at just 25 years old, Capone takes over from Torrio and becomes the boss of the Chicago rackets. Imagine that—25 years old, and he’s running an empire. This isn’t just some street gang anymore. Capone controls the flow of illegal alcohol into Chicago, turning it into a well-oiled machine. He’s got police, judges, politicians—everyone who matters—on his payroll. His empire stretches beyond bootlegging into gambling, prostitution, and racketeering. He’s pulling in millions, and Capone knows how to spend it too. He’s a master of image, strutting around in custom-made suits, living in luxury, but always projecting this larger-than-life persona. The public didn’t just fear him; in some ways, they admired him.
But as with any empire built on crime and violence, cracks start to show. Capone’s brutal methods culminate in the infamous Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, where seven men from a rival gang are gunned down in broad daylight. It shocks the nation, and suddenly, the press and the public aren’t so enamored with Capone anymore. He’s not just the rich gangster in the fancy suit—he’s a symbol of unchecked criminal power.
But here’s where history turns ironic. It’s not the violence, the bootlegging, or the bribery that brings Capone down. It’s tax evasion—this mundane, bureaucratic crime that seems almost laughable given his empire. But that’s how he was caught, taken down not by guns or rival gangs, but by accountants. Capone’s rise to power at just 25 shows us how quickly and completely someone could seize control of a city in a moment of chaos like Prohibition. And though his reign was violent and ruthless, it was also a reflection of how opportunity and crime often walk hand in hand in American history
