Moment in time: Oct. 29, 1946 -- Star of India gem stolen from New York museum
For champion surfer, violin virtuoso and thief Jack Roland Murphy, a.k.a. Murf the Surf, one of the greatest jewel heists in history was astonishingly easy to pull off. Windows leading to the American Museum of Natural History's hall of gems didn't have alarms, nor were they closed, but cracked open about five centimetres to ventilate the fourth floor at night. A guard used to keep watch after hours, but the security measure had been scrapped to save money. Meanwhile, an alarm connected to display cases holding the two-billion-year-old, golfball-sized Star of India and other precious gems didn't work because the batteries had been dead for months. Luckily, police received a tip about Murphy and his two accomplices and found the world's largest blue star sapphire in a Miami bus-terminal locker a few days later. -- Renata D'Aliesio
Image: C. Chesek/American Museum of Natural History