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Al Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17, 1899,
to Neapolitan immigrants Gabriel and Teresa Caponi. Originally
named Alphonse Caponi, his name was Americanized to "Al Capone."
In 1904, at the age of five, young Alphonse started his school
career at Public School 7 in Brooklyn. School was tough for
Capone. The teachers were not tolerant of immigrant children and
often used physical force as a means of discipline. Capone
always had a problem with authority, and by the time he entered
sixth grade, his grades began to drop drastically. At 14, Capone
started a fist fight with a teacher, was expelled, and never
returned to school again. Shortly after he was expelled, his
father moved the family to 21 Garfield Place, in the
neighborhood that would influence the direction of Capone's life
and ultimately, his future. Capone joined two local street
gangs, the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. Among
the members were Johnny Torri