This world-famous island, which used to house a maximum security prison, is nicknamed "The Rock," alluding to its remote location and the way it protrudes from the waters in the San Francisco Bay.

Although "La Isla de los Alcatraces" was originally Yerba Buena Island, the name was later transferred to "The Rock" by Captain Beechey, an English naval officer and explorer. The name is commonly believed to translate as "The Island of the Pelicans," but it actually means "The Island of the Gannets," referring to a seabird that is normally found on the upper Eastern coast of the U.S.

The first operational lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States was built on Alcatraz in 1854 and served as a military prison for Confederate sympathizers and privateers during the Civil War. It was replaced by a taller concrete tower in 1909 after the original was damaged in an earthquake.

During his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, Robert Stroud reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist. Stripped of his birds and equipment after his transfer to Alcatraz, where he was incarcerated from 1942 to 1959, he became the subject of a 1955 book by Thomas E. Gaddis, Birdman of Alcatraz, which was adapted into a film starring Burt Lancaster as Stroud. Although he was portrayed in a favorable light, former inmates of Alcatraz insist the real Stroud was far more sinister, dangerous and unpleasant than the fictionalized version. One said, "He was a vicious killer. I think Burt Lancaster owes us all an apology."

Al Capone, also known as Convict No. 85, was among the first prisoners to occupy the new Alcatraz federal prison when it opened in August 1934. The notorious gangster and mob boss was so cooperative that he was permitted to play banjo in the Alcatraz prison band, the Rock Islanders, which gave regular Sunday concerts for other inmates.

The showers at Alcatraz were always supplied with moderately hot water in order to hinder inmates from becoming acclimated to the freezing waters of the San Francisco Bay, which might benefit them during an escape attempt.

The prison corridors were named after major U.S. streets such as Broadway and Michigan Avenue.

Federal officials may have initially doubted that escaping inmates could survive the swim to the mainland across the cold, swift waters of San Francisco Bay, but it did happen. In 1962, prisoner John Paul Scott greased himself with lard, squeezed through a window and swam to shore. He was so exhausted upon reaching the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge that police discovered him lying unconscious in hypothermic shock. Today, hundreds complete the 1.5-mile swim annually during the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.

The first attempt to escape the prison was made on April 27, 1936, by Joseph Bowers. He was burning garbage at the island's incinerator during duty hours when he suddenly ran and began scaling a chain link fence at the edge of the island. When he refused orders of the correctional officer located at the West Road guard tower to come down, he was shot.

Escape from Alcatraz dramatizes a 1962 escape attempt by prisoners Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin. The escape was marked by elaborate planning and execution, including crafting dummy heads to fool the guards and a rubber raft made of raincoats. Although officials believe that all three men drowned, their bodies were never found.