Jack the Ripper Commits His First Murder
Jack the Ripper is a notorious figure in criminal history, known for committing a series of brutal murders in London's East End in 1888. His first confirmed victim was Mary Ann Nichols, murdered on August 31, 1888. The Ripper targeted women, specifically prostitutes, and is infamous for the violent nature of his attacks, which involved throat slashing and body mutilation. Over the course of his spree, he is linked to five canonical victims, including Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly, with some theories suggesting he may have been responsible for as many as 13 additional unsolved cases. Despite extensive investigations, the Ripper was never apprehended, and his identity remains shrouded in mystery. Various theories have emerged regarding potential suspects, including members of the British royal family and medical professionals, but none have been conclusively proven. The last known murder attributed to him occurred no later than 1891, marking the end of a chilling chapter in London’s history. The enduring intrigue around Jack the Ripper continues to capture public imagination, highlighting the complexities of crime, social conditions, and historical context in Victorian London.
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Jack the Ripper Commits His First Murder
Jack the Ripper Commits His First Murder
The notorious 19th-century London serial killer Jack the Ripper committed the first of his known murders on August 31, 1888, when he killed Mary Ann Nichols. The Ripper earned his distinctive nickname from the manner of his attacks, in which he used a sharp knife to slash his victims' throats and mutilate their bodies. All of his victims were women, all of them were prostitutes, and all but one of them were killed in dark streets or alleys at night. The Ripper confined his murders to a one-square-mile region of London's East End, but he was never caught.
There are five women whom the Ripper is known to have murdered. In addition to Nichols, they are Annie Chapman on September 8, 1888; Elizabeth Stride on September 30, 1888; Catherine Eddowes, also on September 30, 1888; and Mary Jane Kelly on November 9, 1888. He may have also committed as many as 13 additional murders, but they have never been conclusively confirmed as his.
It is generally agreed that the Ripper's killing spree ended no later than 1891. There have been several theories about his true identity, though none have been proven. One theory suggests that Prince Albert Victor of the royal family or Queen Victoria's personal physician, Sir William Gull, was the culprit but that the matter was hushed up by the British authorities. The Ripper may well have been a doctor, since the sharp knife used in the murders could have been a scalpel, and the mutilations sometimes included the removal of organs with surgical precision. Unfortunately, nothing is known for certain, and the killer's identity remains a mystery.