Movies about bank heists are rampant. "The Town", "Heat", and "Point Break" are just a few that come to mind. What was Massachusetts' biggest bank robbery?

It was 75 years ago today in Boston, Massachusetts.

At one point, the Brinks heist was considered the crime of the century and authorities said the robbery was so smooth they swore it was an inside job.

When the day came, they all wore peacoats, gloves, chauffeur’s caps and Halloween masks to conceal their identities and avoid leaving traces behind.

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The Biggest Bank Heist in Massachusetts History.

On the evening of January 17, 1950, employees of the security firm Brinks, Inc., in Boston, Massachusetts, were closing for the day, returning sacks of undelivered cash, checks, and other material to the company safe on the second floor.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m., they were surprised by five men—heavily disguised, quiet as mice, wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and soft shoes to muffle noise. The thieves quickly bound the employees and began hauling away the loot.

Within minutes, they’d stolen more than $1.2 million in cash and another $1.5 million in checks and other securities, making it the largest robbery in the U.S. at the time. -fbi.gov

Captain Marvel mask used in the great Brinks robbery in Boston on January 17, 1950.

A captain marvel mask used in the robbery, photo credit to fbi.gov.

This was once considered the perfect crime, however, by 1956 all arrests were made.

Northampton, MA

A large scale bank heist in Northampton made history books as well, when 1.6 million was stolen in January of 1876 from the Northampton Bank.

LOOK: Classic Halloween costumes from 1865 to today

Stacker scoured the archives to find 50 photos of Halloween costumes from 1865 to today.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

QUIZ: Can You Guess the Iconic TV Show From Just One Opening Freeze-Frame?

Think you’re the ultimate TV fan? How well do you know your classic TV intros? Put your knowledge to the test with our quiz. We’ll show you a freeze-frame from the opening credits of an iconic TV show—take your best guess, then scroll to see if you were right and watch the full opening. Good luck!

Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz

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