The Rest Is History 624. Jack The Ripper: History’s Darkest Mystery (Part 1)
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Dec 8, 2025 Delve into the chilling legacy of Jack the Ripper, exploring whether he was history's first serial killer. The hosts discuss the notorious 'Dear Boss' letter, the horrifying double murder events, and the public's ghostly perceptions of the killer. They reveal how Victorian anxieties shaped responses to the crimes and the obsession with Ripperology in popular culture. Victims are humanized as the narrative shifts from sensationalism to their overlooked lives, culminating in the grim discovery of Mary Ann Nichols' body, marking the start of a reign of terror.
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Ripper As The First Modern Serial Killer
- Jack the Ripper became the prototype of the modern serial killer and a global cultural phenomenon.
- Newspapers, psychiatrists, and novelists shaped his image as much as the crimes themselves.
Murders Reflect Victorian Modernity Fears
- Victorian London saw Jack as both vampiric and a product of modern urban life.
- The murders exposed anxieties about industrialisation, medicine, and urban anonymity.
Media Made The Myth
- The Ripper story is as much a media and literary phenomenon as a criminal case.
- Ripperology grew into a persistent global true-crime subculture driven by books and newspapers.
