The Peaky Blinders

The Peaky Blinders are without a doubt the most well-known group on our list, largely because of the TV series of the same name. The "peakies," a street gang with its headquarters in Birmingham, were made up of working-class men and young people who enjoyed getting wasted and getting into mischief.

There are some contrasts between the show and their real-life equivalents, despite the fact that the program gave them fresh prominence. First off, the 1920s setting of the show means that many of the Peaky Blinders and their allies are World War I veterans. The gang had really peaked in the late 19th century and was in serious decline before the war ever broke out.

Another urban legend said that members of the group called themselves "peaky blinders" because they enjoyed lining the rims of their peaked caps with razor blades and using them as weapons. A modern businessman who portrayed the typical peaky blinder in his memoirs revealed that the reality was significantly less spectacular.

• He stated: “[The peaky blinder] took pride in his personal appearance and dressed the part with skill. Bell-bottomed trousers secured by a buckle belt, hob-nailed boots, a jacket of sorts, a gaudy scarf and a billy-cock hat with a long elongated brim. This hat was worn well over one eye, hence the name ‘peaky blinder’.”

The final urban legend is a classic Hollywood exaggeration. The actual Peaky Blinders were scarcely masterminds of organized crime and infrequently engaged in the spectacular antics depicted in the television program. They were involved in protection networks and gambling, but their major crimes were fights and other forms of street crime. The most serious offense that we are aware of was a manslaughter accusation brought against 19-year-old George "Cloggy" Williams in 1898 after he threw a brick at a police constable's head and killed him.