It was 1866 in Liberty, Missouri, a little town. Jesse James and his crew will complete their first alleged heist in early February of that year. The perpetrators used a handgun to beat a cashier over the head and took over $60,000 in assets. In today's money, that equates to over $1 million. Jesse James' crime spree would go another 16 years. ¹⁾

The year was 1889 in Telluride, Colorado. Butch Cassidy was on his way to completing his first major heist. When he attacked the bank, he was armed. Warner and McCarty were his accomplices. While Cassidy loaded his sacks with cash, they slowed down the teller. The robbers took over $20,000 in cash. This equates to about $500,000 now. Butch Cassidy's career spanned 20 years. It all came to an end when he died from a gunshot wound. ²⁾

America witnessed its first severe bank heist in the summer of 1798. In Philadelphia, Isaac Davis and his accomplice Patrick Lyon attacked Carpenter's Hall. They stole around $162,000 in all. That may not appear to be much, yet it would be worth millions of dollars today. Lyon died of yellow fever shortly after the crime. Isaac Davis began to feel remorse. He ended up gradually putting the money back into the Bank of Pennsylvania. They made the decision to question him. He confessed and returned the money during the interview. He was subsequently exonerated. ³⁾

In 1933, John Dillinger was four months into his criminal spree. This would be his biggest theft. On October 23rd of that year, he started working at the Central National Bank and Trust in Greencastle, Indiana. He got away with more than $76,000 in cash. That equates to over $1.5 million today. After that, the American criminal robbed six more banks. He was caught several times but fled before being punished. In late 1934, John Dillinger was shot by an FBI agent. ⁴⁾

The operation's masterminds were George Leslie and Shang Draper. It was the autumn of 1878. They were both lethal guys with a penchant for riches and violence. The theft of the Manhattan Savings Institution was eventually carried out in late October. The two made off with around $2.5 million in equities, bonds, and cash. At the time, this was the biggest sum of money ever stolen in the United States. George Leslie was responsible for many bank robberies in the past but was never apprehended. This would be his final heist. In New York City, he was finally killed by his companion. ⁵⁾

It was the year 1935 in New York City. The Manhattan Company towered above several of Wall Street's skyscrapers. That's when John Philipp Spanos comes into play. He robbed the bank with four others. The gang got away with $1.5 million. Spanos, interestingly, was a member of a global robbery organization based in southern France. That controversial link would lead to his detention by J Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations). His accomplices were all apprehended between 1935 and 1939. Spanos, on the other hand, was the last to be apprehended in Greece. ⁶⁾

Because the offenders wore trench coats on the day of the theft, this incident became known as the trench coat robbery. Ray Bowman and William Kirkpatrick were experienced bank robbers and locksmiths with a 15-year track record of success. This would be their final heist in 1997. The two robbed the Seafirst Bank in Lakewood, Washington, of over $5 million. Later that year, Kirkpatrick was arrested. Soon after, Bowman was arrested. They were both charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Bowman received a sentence of 24 years in jail. Due to an unlawful search, the accusations against Kirkpatrick were eventually dismissed. ⁷⁾