Albert A. Michelson
In an episode of the television series "Bonanza" ("Look to the Stars", broadcast March 18, 1962), Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) helps the 16-year-old Michelson (portrayed by 25-year-old Douglas Lambert (1936–1986)) obtain an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, despite the opposition of the bigoted town schoolteacher (played by William Schallert). "Bonanza" was set in and around Virginia City, Nevada, where Michelson lived with his parents prior to leaving for the Naval Academy. In a voice-over at the end of the episode, Greene mentions Michelson's 1907 Nobel Prize.
Joseph Bonanno
Eventually, Bonanno became involved in bootlegging activities. He operated a distillery located inside an apartment building basement with Gaspar DiGregorio and Giovanni Romano, who was later killed in the distillery due to an accidental explosion. Sometime after 1926, Bonanno went to work for Salvatore Maranzano and supervised his distilleries in Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, he was also responsible for bailing out bootlegging associates from jail. During this time Bonanno admitted to carrying a pistol for the first time in the United States. He began to act as an enforcer for Maranzano and was part of his inner circle. In his book, Bonanno recalled an extortion attempt by Dominick "Mimi" Sabella, brother of Bonanno capo Michael Sabella and Philadelphia crime family boss Salvatore Sabella, where Sabella attempted to muscle his way into Bonanno's bootlegging operations. Bonanno made a gesture with his hand to represent a pistol and pretended to shoot Sabella in the head six times, although Sabella was part of Maranzano's crime family, Bonanno had the most authority and could not be reckoned with.