The Most Amazing Heists Ever

On the anniversary of Thomas Blood's daring theft of England's crown jewels, we're celebrating the most incredible heists of all time. FACT OF THE DAY: The Gardner Museum art heist was the largest in history—two men in police uniforms stole 13 paintings valued at a total of $500 million. It remains unsolved. [Curiosity Daily logo]( “The drawback of stealing a thing, is that one never knows how wonderful the thing that one steals is.” – Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband The Art Of The Heist On May 9, 1671, self-described colonel Thomas Blood pulled off one of the most daring heists in history when he pilfered the Crown Jewels of England, right under the king's nose. But it's how the king reacted that really makes this story amazing. Today, we're looking at some of the most incredible heists in history. Thomas Blood's Royal Jewel Heist Impressed The King [Charles II Rewarded Thomas Blood For Attempting To Steal The Crown Jewels]( If your goal is buddying up with a member of the Royal Family, stealing the crown jewels seems like a poor way to go about it. But though the favor of Charles II wasn't his goal, that's exactly what Thomas Blood got after pulling off the heist of the 17th century. It seems some people prefer derring-do to diamonds. [HOW DOES A FAILED JEWEL HEIST GO SO WELL?]( The Grandpa Gang Stole $20 Million From A Bank Vault [The Grandpa Gang Is A Successful Group Of Senior Citizen Thieves]( If this isn't a movie yet, it deserves to be. In 2015, the ringleaders of Britain's "gang of grandpas" were convicted of a safe robbery that netted $20 million in gold, jewels, and cash. At the time of the robbery, the youngest in the gang was 42 and the oldest, 76. Only one third of the valuables have been recovered. [TALK ABOUT YOUR GOLDEN YEARS]( The Real Cost Of Art Heists [The Price Of Art Theft]( Art heists aren't exactly like other burglaries, since every piece that's lost is a piece of history destroyed forever—and a lot of art is awfully fragile. That's why a lot of times, when an artwork is stolen, experts are more concerned with how the thieves are caring for it than with its immediate return. Read up on more famous heists by clicking below. [HIS ONLY CRIME WAS STEALING $1.4 BILLION]( Follow us and smarten up your social media. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Google+]( [Pinterest]( [undefined]( [Advertise on Curiosity]( Discover More Amazing Stories Every Day! Start following the subjects that interest you most. We do the work of writing, designing and curating can't-miss articles and videos in those subjects, so you can let your natural curiosity lead the way. [EXPLORE ALL SUBJECTS]( Not Curious Anymore? If you already know everything, you might as well [unsubscribe]( or [update your email preferences](. [Unsubscribe]( | [Update Preferences]( Beacon Solutions, Inc. 4809 Ravenswood Ave Chicago, IL 60640