John Dillinger | Public Enemy No. 1
John Herbert Dillinger was born June 22, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father was a traveling salesman and his mother was a homemaker. At age 12 he began working for a local grocery store. In 1919, he joined the Navy and served until 1922. After leaving the Navy, he worked as a clerk at a department store. On April 14, 1924, Dillinger robbed a bank in Crown Point, Indiana, and was arrested. He spent three months in jail before being released on bail. While out on bond, he committed his first robbery. On May 11, 1925, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery. He escaped from prison on November 16, 1929, after serving seven months of his sentence. On February 15, 1930, he was captured in Tucson, Arizona, and returned to Indiana. On March 3, 1931, he was sent back to Indiana State Prison where he remained until October 17, 1933. During his second escape attempt, he was wounded by police officers. On July 25, 1934, he was wounded again in another gunfight. On July 22, 1934, he died of gunshot wounds inflicted by FBI agents in Little Bohemia, Wisconsin.