Today in 1933, Giuseppe Zangara was executed for first-degree murder. While all but forgotten today, Zangara's actions very nearly changed, in a significant way, the course of western civilization.
Zangara was born in September, 1900 in Ferruzzano, a village located on the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. After serving in the First World War, he worked for several years near his ancestral home. Growing restless, he left Italy with his uncle and came to the United States in 1923, settling in Patterson, New Jersey. In September, 1929, just days after his 29th birthday, Zangara became an American citizen.
Zangara's induction as a US citizen almost exactly coincided with the stock market collapse in October, 1929. The ensuing depression hit the nation hard, but it was especially difficult for men who, like Zangara, had no education and limited skills. While he was a bricklayer by trade, Zangara soon found that he had trouble finding any work at all. This state of affairs was made worse by gall bladder problems, which caused him severe abdominal pain. This pain would later be blamed for Zangara's mental instability.
