Some crimes are so heartbreaking or shocking that they change laws, change society or even earn the label Crime of the Century. But the stories that made headlines in decades past aren't necessarily remembered today.

I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist and author,

and in each episode of this show,

I'll examine a case that's maybe lesser known today

but was huge when it happened. This is crimes of the centuries. The Something was wrong.

Wakened at 4 that Saturday morning by the ship's bell signaling in early breakfast,

then finally Havana in the near distance over the port side,

the vessel's passengers scrambled out of bed.

Barely visible, a few headlights would briefly light the dark

so everyone could see the shoreline.

There it was, their new home.

Herb Carliner, then a young boy on board, would later tell CBS Miami.

With Cuba, it was beautiful.

We had all our suitcases ready to, I are in front of the door.

And another was a certain human police came on the ship.

And says, we have to check all the papers.

The ship, the MS St. Louis had sailed two weeks earlier on May 13th

1939 leaving Hamburg Germany with Adolf Hitler's express permission.

On board were 937 people of Jewish descent

who had paid dearly for exit visas

to leave their homeland and entry visas to enter this new tropical

place that was to be their shelter from all they had suffered in the years since the

...