The Real Story Behind How Al ‘Scarface’ Capone Got His Eponymous Scars

In the latest episode of the fact-finding series Today I Found Out, host Simon Whistler tells the real story of how the infamous Chicago gangster Al “Scarface” Capone received his eponymous scars and the man who gave them to him.

On one particular day during this time, a small stocky “hood” named Frank Galluccio sauntered into the bar with his date, Maria Tanzo, on one arm and his younger sister, Lena, on another…Capone, who was 18 at the time, honed in on Lena… Capone reportedly stepped in and told Lena loudly, “I’ll tell you one thing, you got a nice a** honey and I mean that as a compliment.” Hearing this, Galluccio demanded an apology from Capone for the remark. Capone wasn’t having it, telling Galluccio he was only joking around. …Being at something of a disadvantage physically, Galluccio decided to escalate the situation beyond fists and pulled out his knife, slashing at Capone, and managing to get in three cuts to Capone’s face and upper neck before Capone went down.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.