• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / How old is the Mafia and how did the term originate?

How old is the Mafia and how did the term originate?

July 19, 2020 by Karen Hill

Almost everyone agrees that the Mafia started as a shadow organization in Sicily.

What’s amazing is that historians can’t seem to agree on what the name means.

Most historians also can’t tell us whether it started in the ninth century, the 18th century, or somewhere in between.

The Mafia is also known as “Cosa Nostra” meaning “our thing”.

The American mafia has been portrayed extensively in the media with numerous movies an TV shows reflecting the public’s fascination with the criminal organization.

Ever seen The Goodfellas and The Sopranos? If you haven’t, you should.

Related Facts

  • How did Bugsy Siegal join the Mafia and create Las Vegas when he wasn't Italian?
  • Is the Mafia the biggest criminal organization in the world?
  • How Did Old Man Yu Move Mountains In Chinese Mythology and Why Did the Gods Help Old Man Yu?
  • Where does the expression "old hat" come from and What does old hat mean?
  • How are Thousand-Year-Old Eggs made and Where do Thousand Year Old Eggs come from?
  • Where did the Old Myth that Lemmings in Norway Commit Mass Suicide come from and how did it Originate?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How many gods did the ancient Egyptians have and which one was the greatest?
Next Post: Were any cats put to death for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy