Introduction to Robbers, Arsonists and Bandits

John Nevison

________: A notoriously polite British highwayman from the 1670s.

Bandits

________ have long been romanticized by the wider populace, who admires their bravery, daring, and refusal to follow social conventions.

Art thefts

________ also tend to capture the publics imagination, because they often demonstrate brazen opportunism with little thought for the consequences.

John Nevison

A notoriously polite British highwayman from the 1670s

His rash 320 km trek from the county of Kent to York to construct an alibi for a robbery he had committed earlier in the day

a stunt that gave him the nickname "Swift Nick"-was what solidified his legendary status

Bandits

____ have long been romanticized by the wider populace, who admires their bravery, daring, and refusal to follow social conventions.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Such was the public's impression of __________, bandits operating in 1930s America, who moved in a Buick sedan and hid out in boarding houses and vacant barns between robberies and murders.

Great Train Robbers

The ____, a 15-person gang that preyed on the Glasgow to London mail train in 1963, were no exception.

John Nevison

A notoriously polite British highwayman from the 1670s.

Swift Nick

John Nevison gained this nickname after the crime he committed.

midair

In November 1971, above the northwest United States, one of the most daring robberies in modern history took place in *____*.

November 1971

In _______, above the northwest United States, one of the most daring robberies in modern history took place in *midair*.

D.B. Cooper

the hijacker of a Boeing 727, became well-known. He fled the scene by parachute, carrying a ransom of $200,000 in $20 bills with him.

Societe Generale bank

A few years later, in Nice, France, thieves broke into the _____ through the city's sewers, committing the largest robbery in history at the time.

perfect crime

In 2003, a gang of thieves who broke into his seemingly impregnable underground vault two floors below the Antwerp Diamond Center displayed similar ambitions and committed what has been described as the "______."

Robert Mang

The 2003 case of amateur art thief ______, who climbed up the scaffolding outside a museum and squeezed through a broken window to steal a multimillion dollar work by the Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini.

Dr. Robert Knox

It's a horrifying story about body-snatchers William Burke and William Hare, who in early 19th-century Edinburgh turned to murder to provide cadavers for _________'s anatomy lessons at the university.

John Leonard Orr

* Because so much of the evidence was lost in the fire, it was incredibly challenging to solve this case.
* His arrest was made possible by a partial fingerprint found on an unburned portion of his incendiary device.

John Leonard Orr

He made a name for himself as a legend who was known for being the first detective to arrive at the scene of the crimes he secretly committed.

William Burke and William Hare

It's a horrifying story about body-snatchers __________, who in early 19th-century Edinburgh turned to murder to provide cadavers for Dr. Robert Knox's anatomy lessons at the university.

2003

The ____case of amateur art thief Robert Mang, who climbed up the scaffolding outside a museum and squeezed through a broken window to steal a multimillion dollar work by the Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini.

Antwerp Diamond Center

In 2003, a gang of thieves who broke into his seemingly impregnable underground vault two floors below the ________ displayed similar ambitions and committed what has been described as the "perfect crime."

John Nevison

* He apologized to his victims after robbing them of their money while holding up stagecoaches on horseback. Strangely, being robbed by him almost became a badge of honor.

Great Train Robbers

* They took 120 mailbags carrying more than £2.6 million in cash while wearing ski masks, helmets, and gloves, gravely hurting train driver Jack Mills in the process.

1963

The Great Train Robbers, a 15-person gang that preyed on the Glasgow to London mail train in ______, were no exception.

Thomas Blood

an Irishman, makes an attempt to rob the English Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.

John Nevison

Highwayman _________ travels 200 miles (320 km) by bicycle in a single day across England in an effort to create a plausible deniability.

1671

Thomas Blood, an Irishman, makes an attempt to rob the English Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.

1676

Highwayman John Nevison travels 200 miles (320 km) by bicycle in a single day across England in an effort to create a plausible deniability.

1716–18

Pirate Edward "Blackbeard" Teach robs ships off the American East Coast and in the Caribbean.

1827–28

William Burke and William Hare, two Scottish grave robbers, start killing people to sell their victims' bodies for dissection.

1866–82

In the American Midwest, Jesse James commands the James-Younger Gang in railway and bank robberies.

1930–34

As part of their crime spree, Bonnie and Clyde commit murder and kidnapping when they are cornered.

1963

The Glasgow to London mail train was robbed of more than £2.6 million by the Great Train Robbers.

1971

A man going by the name of D.B. Cooper hijacks a plane in Washington State, demands a £158,000 ransom, and then parachutes out of the sky.

1979–83

Phoolan Devi, often known as the Bandit Queen, commits numerous highway robberies in Uttar Pradesh, India.

1984–91

John Leonard Orr, a licensed fire investigator and covert arsonist, starts a number of deadly fires in southern California.

2003

Thieves stole £60 million worth of diamonds from the Antwerp Diamond Center vault in Belgium.

2015

In the largest burglary in UK history, veteran thieves loot the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company in central London.