This is the timeline of the events surrounding and during the Five Families War (1946-1955).
Timeline[]
Five Families[]
- 1880 - Birth of Carmine Cuneo
- 1885 - Birth of Emilio Barzini
- 1887 - Birth of Philip Tattaglia
- 1890 - Birth of Victor Stracci
- 1892 - Birth of Vito Corleone
- 1902 - Birth of Virgil Sollozzo
- 1916 - Birth of Sonny Corleone
- 1918 - Birth of Emilio Barzini, Jr.
- 1920 - Birth of Michael Corleone
- 1936 - Barzinis conquer Corleone rackets in the First Barzini War
- 1939 - Corleones settle in Long Beach
- December 18, 1945 - Corleone enforcer Luca Brasi is killed by the Tattaglia crime family
- December 21, 1945 - Vito Corleone is gunned down by Tattaglia assassins, but they lose capo Nico D'Avella
- December 23, 1945 - Corleone consigliere Tom Hagen is rescued from Brooklyn
- December 25, 1945 - Corleones kill Tattaglia soldato Mikey Saleri
- December 30, 1945 - Failed assassination attempt on Don Corleone in his hospital.
- December 31, 1945 - Sonny Corleone becomes the acting don of the Corleone crime family
- January 1, 1946 - Death of police sergeant Jim Galtosino in an "accident"
- January , 1946 - Death of Tattaglia caporegime Donnie Marinelli
- , 1946 - Death of Tattaglia caporegime Tony Bianchi.
- March 30, 1946 - Corleones bomb Sollozzo's Warehouse in Midtown
- June 1-5, 1946 - Corleones bomb Sollozzo's drug fronts
- June 6, 1946 - Michael Corleone shoots Sollozzo and Cpt. McCluskey, beginning outrage amongst the other families
Five Families War[]
- 1946 - Michael Corleone boards a cargo ship to escape to Sicily to avoid charges with the murder of the NYPD captain and Sollozzo.
- 1946 - Police crack down on organized crime.
- 1946 - Using newspapers, the Corleones make several stories linking McCluskey to drug rackets.
- 1946 - In the third month of gangland violence, Emilio Barzini is questioned on the underworld feud.
- 1947 - Death of Apollonia Vitelli, Corleone's wife.
- 1948 - Murder of Barzini Capo Big Bobby Toro.
- 1948 - Murder of Cuneo Capo Mario DeBellis in a duel in the sewer of Little Italy.
- 1949 - Death of Tattaglia Capo Luigi Fusco.
- 1950 - Shootout in the basement of St. Michael Archangel's Church leaves one civilian woman, Frances Malone, dead, along with several Tattaglia gunmen.
- 1950 - Murder of Tattaglia underboss Bruno Tattaglia in revenge for Malone's death by lover Aldo Trapani, who throws him into the oven of Tito Morelli's.
- 1950 - Third Cuneo War begins as Sonny Corleone and Aldo Trapani take over several Cuneo rackets, kill their Capo and a racket boss, and force Artie Manzanero to bribe the Corleones for protection instead of the Tattaglia family.
- 1951 - Death of Sonny Corleone at the hands of Cuneo, Stracci, Barzini, and Tattaglia hitmen.
- 1951 - Official end of the Five Families War.
- 1952 - Fighting continues with the murder of Nicholas Klaus, a Jewish businessman who controlled the Cuneo's business ties in New Jersey.
- 1952 - Formation of the Clemenza crime family and the Tessio crime family as Michael Corleone moves the family's operations to Nevada, leaving NYC in their hands.
- 1952 - Aldo Trapani becomes Underboss.
- 1953 - Murder of Marty Malone, a Cuneo associate who was an FBI mole in the Corleone family's ranks.
- 1953 - Death of Vito Corleone of natural causes.
- 1953 - Death of Barzini Capo Pietro Testa, who was bribing the Police Chief of Little Italy.
- 1954 - Murder of Domenico Mazza, a Barzini consigliere who was killed in a drive-by shooting.
- 1954 - Death of Emilio Barzini, Jr., killed by a car bomb at Mazza's funeral procession.
- 1954 - Murder of Moe Greene, a casino mogul.
- 1955 - The Baptism of Fire: Stracci, Cuneo, Tattaglia, and Barzini are all killed by the Corleones at the baptism of Michael Rizzi, Michael Corleone's godson. This ends the main phase of the Five Families War.
- 1955 - Tattaglias, Barzinis, Cuneos, and Straccis are eliminated with the bombings of their family compounds.
- 1955 - Fighting with the Tattaglias continue until the Tattaglia family is eventually crushed and their enforcer Francesco Olivari is murdered.
- 1956 - Aldo Trapani becomes Don of the Trapani crime family and the Don of New York.