- The Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala christened it La Isla de los Alcatraces (1775) wich translates as "The Island of the Pelicans".
- Alcatraz began holding Indian prisoners in1873, including 19 Hopi who refused to send their children to English only schools.
- In the wake of the 1906 earthquake, civilian prisoners were transferred to the island until the city’s jails could be rebuilt.
- The Cellhouse was never filled to capacity. The average number of prisoners was 260, and the maximum was 302. There were 336 full-standard cells available.
- Al Capone helped inaugurate the new Federal Penitentiary in 1934 as one of its first prisoners.
- There were no executions on Alcatraz, although there were five suicides and eight murders.
- On clear nights, inmates claimed they could hear the clang of cable cars and light chatter of evening cocktail parties in San Francisco.
- Despite 14 attempts by 36 prisoners over 29 years, no one ever successfully escaped Alcatraz.
- The sharks that swim in San Francisco Bay and around the island are not “man-eaters”; sand sharks are among the most common.
- By decision of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the penitentiary was closed on March 21, 1963. It was closed because it was far more expensive to operate than other prisons (nearly $10 per prisoner per day, as opposed to $3 per prisoner per day at Atlanta).
Notable inmates of Alcatraz Prison:
Robert Stroud - Al Capone - George "Machine Gun" Kelly - Alvin "Creepy Karpis" Karpowicz - James “Whitey” Bulger - Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Johnson - Mickey Cohen - and Arthur R. "Doc" Barker.
