23 May 1934: Bonnie and Clyde killed in ambush

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow became infamous in the 1930s for robbing banks. But their notoriety ultimately proved their undoing.

Bonnie and Clyde
(Image credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The 1920s and 1930s saw a sharp rise in the number of bank robberies in the US. The growing number of bank branches presented an opportunity, while the widespread availability of cars offered a quick getaway, helped by the fact that state police forces still struggled to co-operate on cross-border crimes with each other.

The Great Depression had left many people feeling more sympathy for robbers than bankers, and many became celebrities.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri