Their names are in our history books: James, Dillinger, Cassidy, Bonnie, Clyde … The bank robbers of lore.

Their stories, triumphs and demises have been sewn into the fabric of our country and we have romanticized them in film and tv for decades. During their runs, most of us even rooted for them to get away. They were our Robin Hoods.

Their portrayal wasn’t always accurate, however.

Some of these celebrated criminals, like Bonnie and Clyde Barrow, were actually brutal and savage killers. Others, like John Dillinger and Butch Cassidy, rarely resorted to violence at all and really were the respected, noble men we believed them to be.

No matter their method or madness, these sack filling bandits baffled police chiefs, filled headlines, and were bigger-than-life celebrities of their time.

But, this phenomenon was short lived. In only a few decades, outlaws went from being household names to afterthoughts on back pages.