Charlie "Lucky" Luciano
was born as Saolvatore Lucania on 24 November 1897in Lercara Friddi, Sicily to
Antonio and Rosalia Lucania. He had four siblings Bartolomeo (born 1890),
Giuseppe (born 1898), Filippia (born 1901), and Concetta. In 1906 Luciano
and his family migrated to the United States. They settled in New York City, on
the Lower East Side at 265 East 10th Street. The neighborhood was a popular
destination for Italian immigrants at the time. Soon after migrating to the
States Luciano was involved in crime. In 1907 at the age of 10, Luciano started
his first racket he would provide protection to Jewish kids to and from school
from their Irish and Italian counterparts for ten cents a week. If they didn't
pay he would beat them up. One of the Jewish kids, Meyer Lansky refused to pay
protection money, so Luciano attempted to beat him up without much success.
After Luciano's failure to beat Lansky they joined forces in Luciano's
protection racket and also became life long friends. By 1915, Luciano trained
in the Five Points Gang, a Society crew, under John Torrio. It was I this gang
Luciano became friends with al Capone and other prominent members. In 1916, Luciano became a leader of the Five
Points Gang, after getting out of reform school for peddling narcotics. Although
never prosecuted, he was a suspect in several local murders.
