Where is Alcatraz?

Alcatraz Island covers about 9 hectares and first held a lighthouse and military fort before becoming a military prison. From 1934 to 1963 it operated as a maximum-security federal penitentiary designed for the most troublesome inmates, including Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. Cold water and strong currents made escape extremely difficult. Over 29 years, 36 men tried in 14 attempts; most were caught or killed, but Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin vanished in June 1962 and were never found. Today it is run by the National Park Service and draws about 1.4 million visitors a year.