The public seems fascinated by crime. Various crimes are presented in the news every day, but most of what is covered is quickly forgotten. In contrast, some crimes leave a lasting impression on the popular psyche. Examples include the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the September 11th attacks. These events, and other significant cases, are immediately or on reflection talked about as "crimes of the century." They "earn" this title not only because they generate enormous publicity, but because of their impact on popular culture: they help define historical eras, influence public opinion about crime, change legal process, and focus concern upon important social issues. They seep into many other shared aspects of social life: public conversation, fiction and non-fiction, songs, poems, films, and folk tales.This set focuses on the many "crimes of the century" of the last 100 years. Each crime is laid out, the investigation is discussed, the media reaction is described, the trial (if there was one) is narrated, the resolution is explored, and the significance of the case in terms of its social, political, popular, and legal relevance is examined. Illustrations and sidebars are included alongside the text; print and electronic resources for further reading and research are offered for those wishing to dig deeper. Cases include the Scopes Monkey trial, Timothy McVeigh, O.J. Simpson, Leopold and Loeb, Fatty Arbuckle, Al Capone, JonBenet Ramsey, the Abu Ghraib scandal, the Columbine massacre, and more.