Today’s article is inspired by a video sponsored by the free-to-play multiplayer game, Enlisted. If you’re into gaming, you might have noticed the resurgence of historical shooters. Enlisted, launched in 2021, is quickly gaining popularity for its focus on historical accuracy combined with dynamic gameplay. It’s a great way to learn about history while having fun, as you get to experience significant events from the past.
In Enlisted, you can engage in historical campaigns like the invasion of Normandy or the Battle of Moscow. Each campaign offers unique maps, troops, weapons, and historical details to explore. The game also features large-scale combat zones with vehicles and specialized weapons, along with the ability to build fortifications to support your team in real-time. You can fully customize your soldier to match your preferred fighting style.
Enlisted is available on PC, Xbox Series X, PS5, Xbox One, and PS4, with cross-platform support. It’s free to play, and you can start playing by visiting enlisted.link/biographics. By following the link, you can enjoy three days of premium play for free, along with several orders for troops and weapons. Check out Enlisted today!
Now, let’s dive into the story of Mickey Cohen, a notorious figure in the world of organized crime. During the mid-1930s, the famous mobster Bugsy Siegel left New York for Los Angeles to manage the mob’s interests in California. Siegel loved the glamorous lifestyle of Hollywood, attending lavish parties and mingling with the elite. He redefined the image of a mobster, but he wasn’t alone. Mickey Cohen was his constant companion, known for his quick temper and violent nature.
While Siegel was charming and could hide his dark side, Cohen was straightforward and ruthless. His willingness to do whatever it took helped him rise quickly through the mob ranks. When Siegel was forced into retirement, a power struggle ensued, and Cohen emerged as the new king of Los Angeles.
Mickey Cohen was born on September 4, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the youngest of five children in a family of Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Kiev. After his father passed away, his mother moved the family to Los Angeles, where they settled in Boyle Heights and opened a pharmacy. While his mother managed the pharmacy, Cohen’s older brothers ran a small gin mill during Prohibition, introducing Mickey to a life outside the law.
Even as a child, Cohen enjoyed having money, and he wasn’t deterred by a brief stint in reform school. School didn’t interest him, and he dropped out at ten years old. He worked as a newsboy, often fighting for the best street corners, which led him to discover his talent for boxing. At 15, he moved to Cleveland to pursue a boxing career, but after a tough loss, he turned to crime, becoming an enforcer for the Cleveland mob.
In 1939, Cohen moved back to Los Angeles as Bugsy Siegel’s bodyguard. He became involved in various criminal activities, including robberies, narcotics, and gambling. Despite numerous run-ins with the law, he managed to avoid serious consequences. Cohen married Lavon Weaver in 1940, and they remained together for 18 years. As he mingled with Hollywood’s elite, he became self-conscious about his lack of education and hired a tutor to improve his manners.
After Siegel’s assassination in 1947, Cohen became the new boss of Los Angeles. However, his position was constantly threatened by rivals like Jack Dragna. Cohen survived several assassination attempts, demonstrating remarkable luck.
In 1950, Cohen was called to testify before a U.S. Senate committee investigating organized crime. Although he avoided serious consequences initially, he was later convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to five years in prison. After his release, he struggled to regain his position in the underworld.
Cohen’s life took another turn when he became involved in the Patty Hearst case in 1974. He passed away on July 29, 1976, at the age of 62, due to complications from stomach cancer surgery. Despite his tumultuous life, Cohen survived numerous attempts on his life and enjoyed a few peaceful years after his release from prison.
Thanks again to Enlisted for sponsoring today’s video. Head to enlisted.link/biographics to start playing, and don’t forget to check the link for your free premium play and bonus content. Enjoy learning about history through gaming!
Research the history of organized crime in the United States, focusing on key figures like Mickey Cohen and Bugsy Siegel. Prepare a presentation that highlights their influence on Hollywood and the broader cultural impact of organized crime during the mid-20th century. Use multimedia elements such as images, videos, and timelines to make your presentation engaging.
Engage in a role-playing debate where you take on the persona of a historical figure involved in organized crime or law enforcement. Debate the ethics of crime and punishment, considering the societal impact of figures like Mickey Cohen. This activity will help you understand different perspectives and the complexities of law enforcement during that era.
Write a creative short story or diary entry from the perspective of Mickey Cohen during a pivotal moment in his life. Focus on his thoughts, motivations, and interactions with other historical figures. This exercise will help you explore character development and historical context in a creative way.
Conduct a historical analysis of the Prohibition era and its impact on organized crime in America. Create a report or infographic that explains how figures like Mickey Cohen capitalized on this period. Discuss the long-term effects of Prohibition on American society and law enforcement.
Create an interactive digital timeline that traces the major events in Mickey Cohen’s life, from his early years to his criminal career and later life. Include key historical events that influenced his actions and decisions. Use tools like Tiki-Toki or TimelineJS to make your timeline visually appealing and informative.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Today’s video is brought to you by the free-to-play multiplayer game Enlisted. If you’re a gamer, you know that historical shooters have come back into vogue in the last few years, and Enlisted, which was launched in 2021, is quickly becoming one of the most popular games in the space. It has a strong focus on historical accuracy while still keeping gameplay dynamic and fast-paced. Personally, I enjoy games in this genre because they build mechanics around history, allowing you to learn something while having fun. You feel like you’re transported into the past to experience significant events.
In Enlisted, you can play distinct historical campaigns like the invasion of Normandy or the Battle of Moscow. Each campaign features unique maps, troops, weapons, and various historical details to unlock and play. The game also includes elements from other shooters that you might enjoy, such as large-scale combat zones with vehicles and specialized weapons. Additionally, it has unique features like the ability to construct fortifications to assist your team in real-time on the battlefield. There’s full customization of your soldier, so you can take your preferred style of fighter into battle.
Enlisted is available on PC, Xbox Series X, PS5, Xbox One, and PS4, with full optimization for cross-platform support. Remember, it’s free to play! Thanks again to Enlisted for sponsoring today’s video. You can go to enlisted.link/biographics to start playing their free MMO shooter. As a special treat, following the link in the description box below will get you three days of premium play for free, plus several orders for troops and weapons. It’s very cool—go check out Enlisted today!
Now, onto today’s video.
During the mid-1930s, famed mobster Bugsy Siegel left New York and relocated to Los Angeles to look after the mob’s interests in California. The city catered to Siegel’s love of the good life—lavish parties, nice cars, expensive suits, and rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite. He practically reinvented the image of the classic mobster, but he never did it alone. Throughout his time in California, Mickey Cohen was his shadow. While Siegel was suave, tall, and handsome, able to conceal his dark side from the public, Cohen was more straightforward—a quick-tempered, loud, and violent former boxer who quickly rose through the ranks of the mob due to his viciousness and willingness to do whatever was necessary to get the job done.
Cohen wasn’t just muscle; when Bugsy Siegel was forced into retirement, a power struggle took place, and Mickey Cohen emerged victorious as the new king of Los Angeles.
Mickey Cohen was born on September 4, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of five children to Max and Fanny Cohen, two Orthodox Jews who had immigrated from Kiev. His father, a fishmonger, died from tuberculosis a year after Mickey’s birth, putting pressure on his mother to provide for the family. When Mickey was six years old, she borrowed money and relocated to Los Angeles, setting up in a Russian Jewish neighborhood in Boyle Heights, where the Cohens opened a pharmacy. While his mother handled the legitimate side of the drugstore, Mickey’s older brothers operated a small gin mill, making extra money during Prohibition. This gave Mickey his first taste of life outside the law, and he discovered he enjoyed it.
He later recalled enjoying the sensation of having cash in his pocket, and even when he had only a few hundred dollars, he would keep them in singles and five-dollar bills to make the stack look thicker. Even getting caught by the police at nine years old didn’t scare him straight. His brothers got him off with a short stint in reform school, and it became clear that Mickey Cohen was not meant for a life of walking the straight and narrow. School meant very little to him, and he encountered little resistance from his family when he dropped out at just ten years old.
His mother worked long hours, and his older siblings had their own side hustles. Mickey worked as a newsboy and soon realized the job was more physical than expected, constantly fighting with other newsboys for the best street corners. This is how he discovered he was good at boxing, participating in unofficial cards throughout the city to supplement his income. In 1929, the 15-year-old Mickey moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and started training for a legitimate boxing career. He had his first professional match on April 8, 1930, but after a tough loss in 1931, he realized he wasn’t championship material.
Despite this, he turned to a life of crime, holding up bookies and speakeasies, which led him to become an enforcer with the Cleveland mob. After a brief stint, he relocated to Chicago, where he claimed to have received a personal endorsement from Al Capone. Cohen bounced around between Cleveland, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles throughout the 1930s.
In 1939, Mickey Cohen moved back to Los Angeles as Bugsy Siegel’s bodyguard. By that point, the national crime syndicate was in full effect, and Siegel aimed to bring organized crime in Southern California into the 20th century. Cohen was involved in various criminal activities, including robberies, narcotics, gambling, and more. He had several run-ins with the law but managed to evade serious consequences.
On a personal level, Cohen married Lavon Weaver in 1940, and they remained married for 18 years without children. As he mingled with Hollywood’s elite, he became self-conscious about his illiteracy and boorish behavior, hiring a private tutor to improve his manners and education.
In 1947, following Siegel’s assassination, Cohen became the new big boss of Los Angeles. However, his position was not secure, as rival Jack Dragna sought to reclaim his spot. Cohen survived numerous assassination attempts, showcasing a remarkable level of luck.
In 1950, the U.S. Senate formed a special committee to investigate organized crime, and Cohen was called to testify. He managed to evade serious consequences but was eventually convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to five years in prison. After his release, he attempted to reclaim his position in the underworld but faced challenges.
Cohen’s life took a turn when he became involved in the infamous Patty Hearst case in 1974. He died on July 29, 1976, at the age of 62 from complications related to stomach cancer surgery. Despite his tumultuous life, he survived many attempts on his life and enjoyed a few years of peace following his release from prison.
Thanks again to Enlisted for sponsoring today’s video. Head to enlisted.link/biographics to get started, and remember to check the link below for your free days of premium play and bonus content. Thanks for watching!
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This version removes any explicit language and maintains a professional tone while preserving the key details of the original transcript.
Mickey – A nickname often used for individuals named Michael, but in historical contexts, it can refer to Mickey Cohen, a notorious American gangster. – Mickey Cohen was a prominent figure in the Los Angeles underworld during the mid-20th century.
Cohen – Refers to Mickey Cohen, an infamous American gangster known for his involvement in organized crime in Los Angeles during the 1940s and 1950s. – Cohen’s influence extended throughout Los Angeles, where he controlled various illegal enterprises.
Crime – An act or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law, often associated with illegal activities in historical contexts. – The rise of organized crime during the Prohibition era led to an increase in illegal activities such as bootlegging and gambling.
Los Angeles – A major city in California that became a hub for organized crime in the early to mid-20th century, particularly during the Prohibition era. – Los Angeles was notorious for its rampant organized crime, with figures like Mickey Cohen dominating the scene.
Mobster – A member of a criminal organization, especially one involved in organized crime during the early to mid-20th century in the United States. – Mobsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano were infamous during the Prohibition era for their involvement in illegal activities.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs, often focusing on significant periods such as the Prohibition era in the United States. – The history of organized crime in America is closely tied to the social and economic impacts of Prohibition.
Organized – Referring to a structured and systematic approach, often used to describe crime syndicates that operated with a high level of coordination and planning. – Organized crime syndicates thrived during Prohibition, controlling illegal alcohol distribution networks.
Gambling – The act of wagering money or valuables on an event with an uncertain outcome, often associated with illegal activities controlled by organized crime. – Illegal gambling operations were a significant source of revenue for mobsters during the early 20th century.
Prohibition – A period in United States history from 1920 to 1933 when the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were banned. – Prohibition led to the rise of speakeasies and bootlegging, as well as an increase in organized crime activities.
