John Wilkes, of the Hell-Fire Club, faced a similar dilemma during the Gordon Riots of 1780, when an anti-Catholic demonstration in London escalated into an orgy of burning and looting.
The first Hell's Angels club was formed in 1948 - the name derives from a World War II USAF bomber squadron - but Barger only joined in the late 1950s, when he helped form the Oakland chapter.