Jack the Ripper

Emblematic personality of the Victorian age, Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous
serial killer of history, a horrible story still well-known more than 130 years after the murders.
“Jack the Ripper” is a nickname given to the murderer of, at least, five victims in London in
the 19th Century.

The case started in 1888 in London, in the sadly famous

borough of Whitechapel : in the end of the 19th century, a
large number of women attacked or killed in the East End
of London are counted. At the same time, eleven violent
murders are commited in Whitechapel, five of them being
identified as “the canonical five”, the offical victims of
Jack the Ripper. The murdering process is the same
each time : the victims were slaughtered and their
internal organs were removed from the body.

The extraordinary brutality of the murders and the large

media coverage contributed to the fascination of the public for this case : media from all over
the world were intrigued by the case and stated the facts.

The first and the second victims, Emma Elizabeth Smith and Martha Tabram, aren’t a part of
“the canonical five” : we can’t be sure that they were killed by Jack the Ripper, even if the
“modus operandi” was almost the same.
Jack the Ripper’s five canonical victims are Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth
Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. The link with Jack the Ripper was
established because of the brutality of the injuries inflicted to the victims.

Four women were also considered as Jack the Ripper’s victims, unofficially because of a
lack of proof and the differing opinions of specialists.

The identity of the murderer is still a mystery, even if more than 100 person were suspected.

The story of Jack the Ripper fascinated many generations of artists, movie producers or
writers, and will probably continue to inspire for a long time.

Sources : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper