In the show, family is everything; It\u2019s the glue. The gang is led by the Shelby family and headed by Tommy Shelby, who is played by Cilian Murphy. But, in real life, \u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d were made up of poverty-stricken young teens to men in their 20\u2019s (the youngest being 12 years old<\/a>), who relied on theft to relieve the economic hardships they have been experiencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also mainly stuck to theft<\/a>, intimidation, and assault compared to the show that depicts large-scale operations. These members of different groups banned together to run the streets of Birmingham, but they were not related by blood. The photo below shows the actual members of the \u201cPeaky Blinders, and interestingly enough, none of these members are featured in the drama series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In reality, the gang mainly operated during the 1890s and early 1900\u2019s. The Shelby family in the show’s reign starts directly as an aftermath of World War I. But to extend the show to its sixth season, Netflix inflated the Shelby family\u2019s power and influence past just street violence and into politics. Also, making the family\u2019s influence prominent throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s<\/a>. But by the start of World War I, the real \u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d had lost their territories, members, and power before ultimately ending their reign<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n The gang distinguished themselves by being well dressed in tailored suits, jackets, and peaked flat caps. The term \u201cBlinder\u201d<\/a> stems from someone who is well put together and well dressed. \u201cPeaky\u201d stems from their caps that they wore. But, the characters in the show get their gang name from them sewing razor blades in the peaks of their caps<\/a> so they could quickly pull them out and blind their opponents. Historically<\/a> speaking, the actual \u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d wouldn\u2019t have been able to afford disposable razor blades since they were new and considered a luxury item.<\/p>\n\n\n While we can expect Hollywood to do some TV magic to make the story more dramatic and interesting to keep viewers\u2019 attention captured, there are some major differences between what actually happened with the \u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d and how the show depicts them. It seems that Netflix mainly took the setting, the name, and loosely what the gang represented before writing their series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"the](\"https:\/\/www.historyinmemes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/peaky-blinders-edited.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Netflix made the gang\u2019s reign and influence last way longer than reality<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/l3mZpcNC69UuXjoME\/giphy-downsized-large.gif\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n3. \u201cPeaky Blinders\u201d Didn’t Actually Have Razor Blades in Their Hats<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/U1lvhtgq5xacnqFvU8\/giphy.gif\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n