American criminals
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External Websites
- The Crime Museum - Bonnie & Clyde
- Federal Bureau of Investigation - Bonnie and Clyde
- Academia - Bonnie and Clyde
- PBS- American Experience - Bonnie and Clyde
- CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas - Bonnie and Clyde
- HistoryNet - Bonnie & Clyde Were Running Wild — 'Till This Texas Ranger Stopped Them
- The Washington Post - The Highwaymen: Bonnie and Clyde's crime spree fascinated Americans during Great Depression
- Senses of Cinema - Riding the New Wave: The Case of Bonnie and Clyde
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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- The Crime Museum - Bonnie & Clyde
- Federal Bureau of Investigation - Bonnie and Clyde
- Academia - Bonnie and Clyde
- PBS- American Experience - Bonnie and Clyde
- CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas - Bonnie and Clyde
- HistoryNet - Bonnie & Clyde Were Running Wild — 'Till This Texas Ranger Stopped Them
- The Washington Post - The Highwaymen: Bonnie and Clyde's crime spree fascinated Americans during Great Depression
- Senses of Cinema - Riding the New Wave: The Case of Bonnie and Clyde
Written by
John Philip Jenkins
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
Quick Facts
- In full:
- Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
- Born:
- October 1, 1910, Rowena, Texas, U.S.
- Died:
- May 23, 1934, near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana
- Born:
- March 24, 1909, Telico, Texas, U.S.
- Died:
- May 23, 1934, near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana
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Top Questions
Who were Bonnie and Clyde?
Who were Bonnie and Clyde?
Bonnie and Clyde, in full Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, were an infamous American robbery team responsible for a 21-month crime spree from 1932 to 1934. They robbed gas stations, restaurants, and small-town banks, chiefly operating in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Missouri.
When did Bonnie and Clyde meet?
When did Bonnie and Clyde meet?
Bonnie and Clyde met in Texas in 1930, when she was 19 and he was 21. Soon after their meeting, Clyde was arrested for robbery. Though he initially escaped jail with the help of a gun provided by Bonnie, he was rearrested and returned to prison, where he remained until being released on bail in 1932.
How did Bonnie and Clyde die?
How did Bonnie and Clyde die?
Bonnie and Clyde were killed on May 23, 1934, when police opened fire on the pair as they attempted to escape an ambush along a highway in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
Why are Bonnie and Clyde famous?
Why are Bonnie and Clyde famous?
Several criminals operating during the Great Depression, including Bonnie and Clyde, became famous as “Robin Hood” figures who struck back against the banks that many considered to be oppressive. The two were also depicted in the highly successful 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, which spread the Bonnie and Clyde story beyond the United States, promoting a “gangster chic” trend in Europe and Japan.
Bonnie and Clyde (respectively, born October 1, 1910, Rowena, Texas, U.S.—died May 23, 1934, near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana; born March 24, 1909, Telico, Texas, U.S.—died May 23, 1934, near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana) were a robbery team that became notorious in the United States through their flamboyant encounters with police and the sensationalization of their exploits by the country’s newspapers.
Barrow had been a criminal long before he met Parker in January 1930. After 20 months in prison in 1930–32, he teamed up with Parker, and the two began a crime spree that lasted 21 months. Often working with confederates—including Barrow’s brother Buck and Buck’s wife, Blanche, as well as Ray Hamilton and W.D. Jones—Bonnie and Clyde, as they were popularly known, robbed gas stations, restaurants, and small-town banks—their take never exceeded $1,500—chiefly in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Missouri.
Britannica QuizCriminality and Famous OutlawsIn December 1932 the FBI learned of an abandoned automobile in Michigan that had been stolen in Oklahoma. A search in Oklahoma of a second stolen car linked both automobiles to Barrow and Parker through a prescription bottle that had been filled for Barrow’s aunt. Further investigation led the FBI to issue a warrant against the couple for interstate transportation of the second stolen automobile on May 20, 1933. During that year Barrow and Parker engaged in several shootouts with police. In November 1933 police in Dallas, Texas, attempted to capture them near Grand Prairie, but they escaped. In January 1934 in Waldo, Texas, they helped engineer the escape of five prisoners, during which two guards were killed. On April 1, 1934, Barrow and Parker murdered two police officers in Grapevine, Texas, and five days later they killed a police constable in Miami, Oklahoma, and kidnapped a police chief. They were eventually betrayed by a friend, and police officers from Texas and Louisiana ambushed the couple along a highway between the towns of Gibsland and Sailes in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, on May 23, 1934. After they attempted to flee the roadblock, police opened fire, killing them.
The legendary quality of Barrow’s and Parker’s careers is not difficult to understand, given the extreme desperation of the times. Their crime spree occurred at the height of the Great Depression, which hit particularly hard in states such as Oklahoma. Several bank robbers during this period became famous as “Robin Hood” figures who struck back against the banks, which many people viewed as oppressive. The duo was depicted in the highly successful 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, which spread the Bonnie and Clyde myth beyond the United States and helped to promote a kind of “gangster chic,” especially in fashion, in Europe and Japan.
John Philip Jenkins