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Mobbed-up soccer hooligans create chaos in southern Europe

July 15, 2026

This summer, all eyes are on North America as Canada, Mexico, and the United States host the 2026 World Cup. The “beautiful game,” as soccer (or football) is sometimes called, tends to bring people together who otherwise would never cross paths. For instance, citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, welcomed the Algerian national team to set up their home base in the University of Kansas town during the global tournament. But the sport has a dark side, too. Though most fans only want to cheer for their team and enjoy the game, a small subset takes their diehard support a little too seriously, ...

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Despite his extensive body count, Detroit hitman Chester Wheeler Campbell was convicted of murder only once in 1955. Campbell is pictured here following a 1975 arrest. Courtesy of Cipollini Collection

‘Dr. Death,’ notorious Detroit contract killer, committed first murder 70 years ago

The shooting death of 43-year-old Luther Mixon on July 1, 1955, landed Chester Wheeler Campbell, 24, and two accomplices in…

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Chicago Outfit boss Sam Giancana killed 50 years ago

Late in the evening of June 19, 1975,  Sam “Momo” Giancana was cooking in his basement apartment, presumably for a…

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In 1961, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal was subpoenaed to testify before a Senate Rackets Subcommittee after Oregon football player Mickey Bruce told the panel about Rosenthal attempting to bribe him to throw a game the year before. Rosenthal refused to answer any questions. Corbis

Lefty Rosenthal’s alleged sports-fixing past recalled in national sports story

In the 1970s, Mickey Bruce, a former University of Oregon football player, was called to Nevada to testify against Mob…

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Las Vegas casino pioneer a footnote in Southern California slaying

A high-profile murder in 1950s Southern California at the former home of a Las Vegas casino operator led to the…

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After the four-casino blitz of 1955, Life magazine speculated about the sustainability of the boom. The new casinos had to keep up with the big budgets of successful casinos such as the Desert Inn, which paid British musician Noël Coward, pictured here, $40,000 a week. The Mob Museum Collection

Casino boom added four new properties to Las Vegas 70 years ago

Seventy years ago, in April and May of 1955, Las Vegas welcomed four new hotel-casinos in a six-week period. This…

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The Alto Knights, starring Robert De Niro as both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, premiered to lukewarm reviews last month. The Alto Knight is among the first of many Mob movies debuting this year. Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

New Mob movies point to continued demand

While some question whether Mob movies have run their course, a recent slate of gangster films indicates public interest remains…

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Charles Binaggio and Charles Gargotta were found murdered at the First Democratic Club in Kansas City on April 6, 1950. Gargotta’s body is seen here near a portrait of President Harry Truman. The Kansas City Star

Mobbed-up power broker Charles Binaggio gunned down in Kansas City 75 years ago

Mobbed-up power broker Charles Binaggio gunned down in Kansas City 75 years ago

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