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)

President Roosevelt (left) with his Cabinet.

On July 26, 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 
was born when U.S. Attorney General Charles Bonaparte (below) 
orders a group of newly hired federal investigators to report to
Chief Examiner Stanley W. Finch of the Department of Justice.

One year later, the Office of the Chief Examiner was renamed
the Bureau of Investigation, and in 1935 it became the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.

  
Charles Joseph Bonaparte 
(June 9, 1851 – June 28, 1921)

Stanley Wellington Finch
(July 20, 1872 – 22 November 1951)

The Bureau’s first home, the Department of Justice building
at 1435 K Street in N.W. Washington, D.C.

Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have
started as an idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation
in 1964 into the supposedly pornographic lyrics of the song
“Louie, Louie.” recorded by The Kingsmen.  That investigation
finally neared its conclusion on May 17, 1965, when the FBI
Laboratory declared the lyrics of “Louie Louie”, as sung by the
bands singer Jack Ely (below), to be officially … unintelligible.

Jack Brown Ely (September 11, 1943 – April 28, 2015)

Ely’s famously incoherent vocals were partly the result of his
braces and the rudimentary recording method. The one hour
session cost within $50. He left the band shortly after the 1963
recording session. (From Wikipedia)

Ely was born in Portland, Oregon where he attended Washington
High School.

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.

Since its debut, hundreds of the criminals included on the
list have been apprehended or located, with more than 150
as a result of tips from the public.

JOHN BELMONT

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr.
(April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)