John Dillinger
John Dillinger was an American bank robber of the 1930s whose string of heists and dramatic escapes made him a folk hero during the Great Depression.
The FBI named him "Public Enemy Number One" before agents shot him outside a Chicago theater in 1934.
His name evokes the romanticized outlaw—someone who thumbs their nose at authorities and gets away with it, at least for a while.
Search for a suspect
- FBIU.S. domestic intelligence agency
- escapeFlight from captivity
- hideoutSecret place of refuge
- on the runActively avoiding capture
most wanted · pursuit · evasion · alias · disguise · plastic surgery · safe house · wanted poster
Having a terrible reputation
- notoriousFamous for negativity
- folk heroCelebrated figure from tradition
- famePublic recognition, widespread
- legendUnverified traditional tale
anti-hero · romanticized · daring · brazen
1930s global economic crisis
- ProhibitionConstitutional alcohol ban era
- 1930sFourth decade, twentieth century
- speakeasiesIllicit liquor establishments
- New DealDepression-era reform agenda
Hoovervilles · Dust Bowl · breadlines · soup kitchens · FDR · Al Capone · Baby Face Nelson · Pretty Boy Floyd
Major Illinois metropolis
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- FBI agentsFederal criminal investigators
- shootingDischarging a weapon
alley · informant · set up · death mask
Theft from financial institution
- vaultSecure storage chamber
- getaway carCriminal's flight transportation
- stickupArmed robbery
- holdupTheft by threat
loot · pistol · gang · accomplice · spree · armored car · teller · alarm
manhunt
Search for a suspect
most wanted · on the run · pursuit · evasion · alias · disguise · plastic surgery · safe house · wanted poster · reward
infamous
Having a terrible reputation
- notoriousFamous for negativity
- folk heroCelebrated figure from tradition
- famePublic recognition, widespread
legend · anti-hero · romanticized · daring · brazen
Great Depression
1930s global economic crisis
- ProhibitionConstitutional alcohol ban era
- 1930sFourth decade, twentieth century
- speakeasiesIllicit liquor establishments
New Deal · Hoovervilles · Dust Bowl · breadlines · soup kitchens · FDR · Al Capone · Baby Face Nelson · Pretty Boy Floyd · Bonnie and Clyde
Chicago
Major Illinois metropolis
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- FBI agentsFederal criminal investigators
shooting · alley · informant · set up · death mask
bank heist
Theft from financial institution
- vaultSecure storage chamber
- getaway carCriminal's flight transportation
- stickupArmed robbery
holdup · loot · pistol · gang · accomplice · spree · armored car · teller · alarm · cash
- Outlawsoutlaw, bandit, desperado, highwayman, robber
- 1930sNew Deal, Hitler, Nazi Germany, Great Depression, appeasement
- 1930s FiguresFDR, Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Babe Ruth
- Bank RobbersJesse James, Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson
- criminalsmurderer, thief, burglar, criminal, killer
- IndianaIndianapolis, Bloomington, Hoosiers, Fort Wayne, South Bend
John DillingerJ. Edgar Hoover
Eliot Ness · lawman · G-men · FBI agents · FBI agent
John Dillingerbanker
Money institution employee
bank president · J.P. Morgan · philanthropist · civic leader · Franklin D. Roosevelt
John DillingerJ. Edgar Hoover
Billy Graham · Eleanor Roosevelt · saint · pillar of the community