On this day in 1902 we saw the birth of Meyer Lansky who was born in Grodno in the Russian Empire (now western Belarus). Around the age of 9/10 Meyer and his family immigrated to the U.S. settling in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Meyer went on to grow the mobs gambling empire, and was the brain behind many of its decisions. He held considerable influence with the Italian Mafia despite being a member of the Jewish mob and he was never found guilty of anything more serious than illegal gambling.
Read more about the life and times of Meyer Lansky, The Mobs Accountant.