Escaping Alcatraz: The Most Daring Prison Break in American History

Alcatraz Island sits in the cold, choppy waters of San Francisco Bay, just over a mile from the mainland shore. For nearly three decades, it operated as a maximum-security FEDERAL PENITENTIARY — a prison reserved for the most dangerous and escape-prone criminals in the United States. The government chose this ISOLATED island location deliberately, believing the frigid bay waters and powerful currents would make escape virtually impossible. At its peak, Alcatraz housed some of America's most notorious criminals, including gangster Al CAPONE and machine-gun-toting Robert STROUD, known as the Birdman of Alcatraz. The prison earned a fearsome REPUTATION as the inescapable fortress of American corrections, a place where hope of freedom was meant to die the moment you arrived. From 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz confined roughly 1,500 prisoners in total, cycling through its CELLS with brutal discipline.