On the morning of August 21, 1911, handyman Vincenzo Peruggia executed one of the most audacious art heists in history by hiding in a Louvre broom closet overnight. Dressed in a white worker's smock, Peruggia unhooked the masterpiece, brought it to a secluded stairwell, stripped off the heavy frame, and wrapped the canvas in his smock. However, his meticulous escape plan hit a critical snag at the building's outer door: the doorknob was missing, and the exit was locked from the inside.
Stranded in the stairwell with the world's most valuable painting tucked under his arm, Peruggia was forced to wait in panic. Fate intervened when a Louvre plumber named Sauvet happened to walk down the stairs. Seeing Peruggia in a matching worker's smock complaining about a broken door, Sauvet suspected nothing.
Using his master key, the plumber unlocked the door and let the thief walk out into the streets of Paris. Even more bizarre was the delayed discovery of the crime. Museum staff routinely removed paintings to take them to the photography studio on the roof.
For over 24 hours, guards and curators assumed the empty hooks on the wall meant the Mona Lisa was merely being photographed. It wasn't until painter Louis Béroud arrived the next morning to sketch the painting that someone finally alerted security, starting an international manhunt.