1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 1: Hi there. Welcome to this Day in History class, where 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: we sift through the artifacts of history seven days a week. 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: Today is March nineteen. The day was March nineteen sixty three. 4 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: After nearly thirty years of operation, the infamous Alcatraz Prison 5 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: closed on its tiny rocky island in San Francisco Bay. 6 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was notorious for its rough conditions, the 7 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: big name criminals it held, and the inability to escape it. 8 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: Before Alcatraz Island became a federal prison in nineteen thirty four, 9 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: it was home to a military prison. President Millard Fillmore 10 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: signed in order that the island be set aside for 11 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: military use in eighteen fifty, and soon after a fortress 12 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: was built on the island. During the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers, privateers, 13 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: and people accused of treason were imprisoned in Fort Alcatraz. 14 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: The prison also held Native Americans who had resisted the 15 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: government and later conscientious objectors. In nineteen o nine, inmates 16 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: built a new sale house, hospital, mess hall, and other 17 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: buildings on the island, creating a new prison complex that 18 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 1: was completed in nineteen twelve. Alcatraz Island, with its strong, 19 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: cold currents was the perfect place for a prison because 20 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: nobody could attempt escape and succeed or make it out alive. 21 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: So in nineteen thirty three, the Army handed Alcatraz over 22 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 1: to the US Justice Department, which needed somewhere to put 23 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: criminals deemed especially dangerous. San Francisco citizens weren't thrilled about 24 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: having a federal prison so close to the city, though, 25 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: but the Justice Department ensured people that the island was secure, 26 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: and after a construct action to increase the security of 27 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: the facility, Alcatraz opened in July ninety four. There were 28 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: usually about two d and fifty prisoners in Alcatraz. Each 29 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: prisoner had a separate cell about nine by five ft 30 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: and seven ft high, and there was about one guard 31 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: to every three prisoners. James A. Johnston, the first warden 32 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: at the prison, who was there until eight was strict 33 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 1: and ruthless. Radios and newspapers were off limits, and most 34 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,079 Speaker 1: of the time there was silence. In the early years, 35 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: when prisoners could only talk with each other during meals 36 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: and recreational time. They would even dump the water out 37 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: of their toilets to be able to speak to each 38 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: other through the piping. Executions were not performed at Alcatraz, 39 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: but a little over a couple dozen people did die. 40 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: Some were murdered, some committed suicide, and some died from illnesses. 41 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: At any time, a few hundred civilians lived on the island. 42 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: Families of the guards that lived on the island had 43 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: a convenience store, soda shop, and bowling alley, but a 44 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: boat did run to the mainland several times a day. 45 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 1: Prisoners at Alcatraz were mostly inmates from other institutions who 46 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: were violent or prone to escaping and needed to be 47 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: transferred to a maximum security prison. But when you think 48 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: of Alcatraz, you probably think of the well known criminals 49 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: who did time in the prison. Gangster al Capone was 50 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: locked up in Alcatraz from nineteen thirty four to nineteen 51 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: thirty nine after he continued to run his criminal operations 52 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: while incarcerated in Atlanta. Prohibition era gangster George machine Gun 53 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: Kelly spent seventeen years in Alcatraz. Crime boss James Whitey 54 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: Bulger was in Alcatraz for three years, and plenty of 55 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: people also attempted to escape from the prison, and some 56 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: got farther than others. In nineteen forty five, John Giles 57 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: worked at the loading dock, and he stole an army 58 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: uniform and walked onto an army launch that he thought 59 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: was headed for San Francisco, but his destination was Angel Island, 60 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: and he was caught when he got there. None of 61 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: the fourteen attempts were successful, though five people are considered 62 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: missing and drowned. The rock as Alcatraz was known closed 63 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: on Thursday, March one, nineteen sixty three. Alcatraz closed mainly 64 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: because it was so expensive to operate and the facilities 65 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: were deteriorating to the point where it would be unsafe 66 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: for people in it. It would take four million dollars 67 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: in five years to repair, so prisoners were sent to 68 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: a new prison built in Marion, Illinois. Frank Weatherman was 69 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: the last prisoner to board a boat to leave Alcatraz. 70 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: A group of Native Americans occupied the island in the 71 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 1: late nineteen sixties in early seventies, saying it was their 72 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: rightful land, until authorities forced them off. Alcatraz is now 73 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: a tourist destination. I'm Eves Jeff Coo, and hopefully you 74 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 75 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: And if you want to learn more about Alcatraz I 76 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: would highly recommend the movie starring Nicholas Cage called The Rock. 77 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: I'm just kidding. That doesn't have anything to do with 78 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: alcatraz Is history, but you can still leave us a 79 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: message at t v I h C Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, 80 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: and Twitter. If there are any upcoming days in history 81 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:37,919 Speaker 1: that you'd really like me to cover on the show, 82 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: give us a shout on social media. Thanks for showing up. 83 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: We'll meet here again tomorrow.