John Dillinger

John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American bank robber, considered by some to be a notorious and dangerous criminal, while others considered him a Robin Hood-like hero. He gained this reputation for his graceful movement during bank heists, e.g. leaping over the counter, and narrow getaways from police. His exploits, along with those of other criminals of the 1930s Depression era, such as Bonnie and Clyde and Ma Barker, dominated the attentions of the American press and its readers during what is sometimes referred to as the public enemy era, between 1931 and 1935, a period which led to the further development of the modern and more sophisticated FBI.

Legends

A lot of legends surround John Dillinger. One of the rumors that followed his death was that he had a very large penis. This legend is the result of the photograph of his corpse; the bulge caused by his arm, stiff from rigor mortis, covered with a sheet; some who saw grainy newsprint copies of the photo mistakenly believed it to be his unnaturally large erect penis.

Related Topics:
Penis - Rigor mortis

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While considered a great bank robber, he was not the most successful of that era. Harvey Bailey is credited as being the greatest bank robber of the 1920s and 1930s, but is largely forgotten today.

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John Dillinger is one of the main characters in the science fiction series of books, The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which plays off the rumor that Dillinger was not the man gunned down outside the Biograph.

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New Jersey mathcore band, The Dillinger Escape Plan, named themselves in honour of Dillinger.

Related Topics:
New Jersey - Mathcore - The Dillinger Escape Plan

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Stephen King also wrote a short story called "The Death Of Jack Hamilton", in which Dillinger was a main character. It also plays off the rumor that Dillinger was not gunned down.

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