Herman Lamm

Historical eventDecember 161930

Herman Lamm

German-American gangster Herman Lamm killed himself during a botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, to avoid being captured by police.

In context

When
Tuesday, December 16 193096 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1930s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1930.

What happened

Herman Karl Lamm, known as Baron Lamm, was a German-American bank robber. A former Prussian Army soldier who emigrated to the United States, Lamm believed a heist required all the planning of a military operation. He pioneered the concepts of "casing" a bank and developing escape routes before conducting the robbery. Using a meticulous planning system called "The Lamm Technique", he conducted dozens of successful bank robberies from the end of World War I.

December 16 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1930Herman Lamm
  2. 19921992 deportation of Hamas members
  3. 1997United Kingdom BSE outbreak
  4. 1997Dennō Senshi Porygon
  5. 2011Zhanaozen massacre
  6. 20122012 Delhi gang rape and murder
  7. 20132013 Metro Manila Skyway bus accident
  8. 2014Lindt Cafe siege
  9. 2014Pakistani Taliban
  10. 20222022 Batang Kali landslide
  11. 20242024 Abundant Life Christian School shooting

Also in 1930

  • July 131930 FIFA World CupThe first FIFA World Cup was opened in Uruguay.
  • March 31Cinema of the United StatesTo avoid government censorship, Hollywood movie studios instituted their own set of industry censorship guidelines, popularly known as th…
  • September 6Hipólito YrigoyenArgentine president Hipólito Yrigoyen was deposed in a military coup by José Félix Uriburu.
  • May 71930 Salmas earthquakeAn earthquake struck northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey, killing up to 3,000 people.
  • August 6New York Supreme CourtNew York Supreme Court judge Joseph Force Crater disappeared in Manhattan, in a case that was never solved.
  • April 11Jim CorbettAnglo-Indian hunter Jim Corbett shot the second of the man-eating tigers of Chowgarh.
  • July 30MontevideoIn Montevideo, the Uruguay national football team (team pictured) won the inaugural FIFA World Cup, defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final.
  • March 6Communist InternationalOrganized by the Communist International, hundreds of thousands of people in major cities around the world marched to protest mass unempl…

Everything we record for 1930 →

Sources

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“Herman Lamm”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/herman-lamm-1930-december-16, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Herman Lamm happen?

December 16 1930 — 96 years ago, on a Tuesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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