It all started in 1949, when a reporter from the International News Service decided to write a story about the “toughest guys” sought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In response, the F.B.I. provided ten names of wanted criminals.

The article created a sensation. Delighted at the subsequent publicity, F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover began the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” program in March 1950.

Since then the list has become a standard crime-fighting tool for the F.B.I. By widely circulating the lists to media outlets and posting them in public buildings, the F.B.I. has been able to enlist public help in finding what it calls serious offenders. Of the 458 names that have appeared on the list since its inception, 429 have been apprehended, including 137 nabbed as a direct result of tips from the public. The Internet has made the list even more universal, since it can be seen all over the world in a matter of seconds.

                                                                        Current List

   

Jorge Alberto Lopez-Orozco En Espanol	Usama Bin Laden
Jason Derek Brown	James J. Bulger En Espanol En Francais In Italiano  (pdf) auf deutsch  (pdf) em portugues
Emigdio Preciado Jr En Espanol	Robert William Fisher
Victor Manuel Gerena En Espanol	Glen Stewart Godwin En Espanol
Jon Savarino Schillaci En Espanol	Alexis Flores En Espanol

Well, this says a lot about me.  I was stunned to see someone with a Master's Degree on the FBI's 10 most wanted list.  Actually, I was stunned by a lot that I read!