Al Capone's Empty Room

     The year is 1986.  Al Capone has been dead for 39 years.  Prohibition has been over and done with for 53 years.  But Big Al is about to pull one last trick from the grave. 

     In that year, the Lexington Hotel in Chicago was being renovated, as was the case with many hotels in that period of time.  When the contractors found their way into the basement of the Lexington, they discovered a shooting range.  Additionally, they found an immense network of tunnels connecting numerous taverns and brothels.  Clearly this was no ordinary hotel basement.  Instead, this was a hideout of truly grandiose proportions.  In fact, this hideout belonged to none other than Al Capone. Capone's hideout had been in a different hotel in the city, but in July 1928 he moved his operation to the Lexington.  When he was arrested, Capone went away, but rumors of his treasure did not.

     Coming back to 1986, when the rooms underneath the Lexington were unearthed, who knew what could have been in them?  Enter Geraldo Rivera.  Geraldo was on the upswing of his career when he caught wind of the find over at the Lexington.  So, being the crack reporter that he was, he hopped on the next plane to Chicago and decided to have a look-see at the vault for himself.  What he saw certainly looked promising.  So promising in fact, that he decided to have a live TV special to unveil it.  The hype was incredible.  Arrangements were made to have a medical examiner on the scene in case any bodies were unearthed.  The IRS even sent over some agents to properly collect any monies that would be discovered in the vault. It was even rumored that Jimmy Hoffa might have been in there!(hey, you never know)  So after all of this build-up, and after a two-hour nationally syndicated special, the big moment came.  Geraldo blew the vault open, and what did he find?  Treasure, bodies, unfiled tax returns, the very meaning of life itself?  Actually, how about none of the above.  In fact, if you answered "An old stop sign and some empty bottles of gin", you would be correct.  Here's Geraldo's take on the whole affair:

     It was embarrassing.  It was humiliating.  People are still making jokes about it 28 years later.  But it was also the highest-rated syndicated special in the history of television.  And to this day, it is still the highest-rated syndicated special ever.  And Geraldo Rivera is still going strong(and in some cases, a little too strong).  Not too bad for a failed television special.