U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 15

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15: AN INFAMOUS CRIME

Profile America -- Tuesday, February 15th.  Newspapers across America carried big, lurid headlines on this date in 1929 -- about the gang shooting in Chicago the day before which became famous as "The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre."  Seven men -- six members of the "Bugs" Moran gang and an auto mechanic -- were lined up against a wall in a south side garage and mowed down with submachine guns.  The slaughter exceeded anything yet seen in the U.S. at that time. It started the collapse of the Moran gang, and focused federal attention on Al Capone, thought to be the architect of the killings.  There were just over 9,600 murders in the U.S. in 1929.  Most recent figures show 13,300 homicides yearly.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 130

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 414

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 306

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau