Al Capone

About Al Capone

Al Capone (1899-1947) remains one of history’s most recognizable figures, largely defined by his role as the notorious leader of the Chicago Outfit during the Prohibition era. While his criminal enterprise—built on bootlegging, gambling, and violence—secured his infamy, his actual historical importance is pegged by the Pantheon project at rank #992 globally. This ranking reflects a significant, albeit negative, cultural impact on American governance and organized crime history, solidifying his place among the top echelon of influential individuals, despite his life ending outside the political or scientific spheres.

Despite this high historical ranking, Capone's modern internet attention significantly outweighs his comparative importance. In 2025, his Wikipedia page garnered 2.6 million annualized views, placing him in a category of figures who receive far more digital scrutiny than warranted by the HPI. To illustrate this overattention, Capone receives roughly eight times the proportional internet interest (an Attention Gap of +8x) compared to his historical standing. For instance, he draws significantly more attention than figures with greater historical weight, such as Matthias the Apostle (#520 importance) who secures only 206K views.

This high volume of attention, however, is not entirely stable. His 2025 performance shows a year-over-year decrease of 5.7% in viewership, and momentum between Q1 and Q3 dropped by 8%, suggesting that while the interest is high, the decay from peak cultural relevance may already be setting in.