A Mob Boss Starts a Movement

August, sometime in the 500s BCE. In Athens, the Great Panathenaia is in full swing: chariot races, boat races, a hundred cattle slaughtered for the feast. And at the center of it, a competition in which performers recite the work of one poet, and one poet only: Homer. But nobody ...  Show more

August 17, 1858. New York City wakes to a hundred-gun salute. Church bells ring, flags fly from public buildings, and by nightfall, fireworks light up the sky. The city is celebrating a telegram from Queen Victoria to President Buchanan. Not what it says, but how it traveled: alo ...  Show more

Colombo was flooded with cash from his numerous rackets and enjoying the good life. Distress grew in the highest circles of the Mafia that law enforcement scrutiny would intensify because of Colombo’s actions. And he gained even more attention when he used the growing civil right ...  Show more

Many people are familiar with depictions of the Mafia in film, but what's the real story? Join Chuck and Josh as they break the infamous code of silence and shed light on some of the most dangerous and mysterious organizations in the western world.

NYPD Detective Joe Petrosino, an Italian immigrant and master of disguise, led the charge against the Black Hand. When a backlash arose against ALL Italian-Americans, his fight to protect his community transformed into a battle against bigotry. Learn more about your ad choices. V ...  Show more

Today’s quote comes from Salvatore Profaci, an influential captain in the famous Colombo crime family, based in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices