Crime of the century

"Crime of the century" is an idiomatic phrase used to describe particularly sensational or notorious criminal cases.Chua-Eoan, Howard (n.d.). "Crimes of the Century: The Top 25". Time. Retrieved September 10, 2021. In the United States, it is often—though not exclusively—used in reference to the Lindbergh kidnapping. However, the phrase was in popular use much earlier in the 19th century and has been used repeatedly ever since.Hunt, Henry. The Crime of the Century; Or, the Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin, H. L. & D. H. Kochersperger, 1889. via Internet Archive Other criminal cases that have also been described as the "crime of the century" include the Leopold and Loeb case,Hal Higdon, Leopold and Loeb: The Crime of the Century, University of Illinois Press, 1999 (originally published 1975). . the murder of Patrick Henry Cronin, and the Richard Speck case. In Europe, the description is often applied to the Great Train Robbery of 1963.

See also Trial of the century

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