Database: Jack the Ripper

Born: Unknown. The 'Jack the Ripper' murders occurred in the East End of London in 1888 and had a huge impact on society as a whole.

So what makes this killer the 'daddy of all serial killers'? After all, the murder spree took place over a hundred and twenty five years ago...

Several factors combined to help make this series of crimes famous all over the world. Not least amongst them was the fact that the newspapers of the day gave a huge amount of coverage to the gruesome crimes and provided their readers with daily updates on them, with the result that Jack the Ripper effectively became a menacing media figure. Secondly, the area in which the killings occurred was perceived to be a hotbed of vice and villainy, and a breeding ground for social unrest, squalor and disease. The Whitechapel Murderer, in the eyes of the wider Victorian society, came to be seen as the personification of all the evils with which the East End of London was associated.

There was also the name by which the killer came to be known - Jack the Ripper. It was this name that had the effect of turning give sordid East End murders into an international phenomenon and of catapulting the unknown miscreant responsible into the realm of legend.

Of course, the fact that no one has ever identified nor conclusively solved the horrific crimes keeps the legend of Jack the Ripper alive...