On this day in 1950, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
instituted the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list  in an
effort to publicize particularly dangerous fugitives. The
creation of the program arose out of a wire service news
story in 1949 about the “toughest guys” the FBI wanted
to capture. The story drew so much public attention that
the “Ten Most Wanted” list was given the okay by J. Edgar
Hoover the following year. 

John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972)