In the early years of the Great Depression, some gangsters gained notoriety, especially bank robbers.  The public was interested in learning about the escapades of these criminals, in part because of dire economic conditions.  Many people lost their homes and possessions when the banks foreclosed on mortgages, and some secretly applauded the criminals that robbed those same banks.  For others, gangster stories focused attention away from the day-to-day problems people were experiencing.  Years later, movies and other forms of popular culture contributed to ongoing interest in these events.  What recent movies, books, or songs have drawn your interest to some past event?  Do you think that the information is accurately portrayed?

The MIDI file music of "Ragtime Nightingale" used in this podcast, which was originally written by Joseph E. Lamb in 1915, is used by permission of Benjamin Robert Tubb from his website at Public Domain Music

http://pdmusic.org