Robberies, heists; theft! From precious jewels, to cash, to historical artwork, these mobsters and criminals are famously brazen thieves, and make up this list of the greatest robberies in history.
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-- Mona Lisa theft at the Louvre, 1911
One morning in August 1911, a French painter went to the Louvre museum in Paris; only to find the wall where the Mona Lisa was usually displayed empty, save for 4 iron pegs which once held its frame. After checking with security guards, and the museum administration, it was confirmed that the renowned Da Vinci painting was indeed missing – presumably stolen. The Louvre was closed for entire week for investigations.
5. Lufthansa Heist at JFK, 1978
The infamous Lufthansa Heist at JFK airport in 1978 was the largest cash robbery ever committed in the United State at its time. The crime was commited by Jimmy Burke, a mobster associated with the Lucchese crime family. He decided on the heist after getting a tip about millions of dollars of untraceable money flown in from West Germany via Lufthansa every month to JFK airport.
4. D.B. Cooper, 1971
In 1971, on Thanksgiving eve, a man wearing a suit and tie who identified himself as Dan Cooper boarded a Boeing 727 at Portland International Airport. As the aircraft took off towards its intended destination: Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Cooper casually ordered a bourbon and soda, before passing a note to the stewardess which said that he was hijacking the entire plane, and had a bomb in his briefcase.
3. Art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1990
On March 18, 1990, the day after St Patrick's, security guards at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston were visited by two police officers requesting entrance, claiming they needed to investigate a disturbance in the museum's courtyard. Once inside, they “arrested” and handcuffed the security guards before revealing themselves to be art robbers in disguise.
2. The Harry Winston Heist, 2008
The Harry Winston's jewellery store robbery in late 2008 in Paris is downright one of the most brazen heists ever in the 21st Century. Shortly before closing time in the evening, four men entered the store disguised as women, complete with flowing wigs, handbags and sunglasses, and one with a silky scarf knotted under the chin. Armed with a gun and hand grenade, they gathered the staff into a corner before breaking open the display cases and filling up their bags with precious diamonds.
1. Antwerp diamond heist, 2003
The biggest ever diamond heist in history took place in Antwerp, Belgium in 2003. Antwerp is considered the diamond capital of the world, with 80 percent of the entire world's uncut diamonds passing through the city, and thieves are definitely aware of this fact. A number of heists have taken place in Antwerp, but this one is at a whole different level in terms of stolen values and execution method. The haul was so large that the thieves had to leave behind part of their booty which had gotten too heavy.
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