Channel Button

There are 8 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #1 by Helium's members.

Arts & Humanities   >

History Mysteries

Get a Widget for this title

Jack the Ripper and serial killers: What's the cultural appeal?

In today's society we are obsessed with crime, in every facet possible. Our front pages are lined with stories; News casts give the gritty details and Network television has become over saturated with crime shows such as Law and Order, which has been on the air for over 15 years.

Serial killers are by far the most fascinating criminal and social anomalies, in our society. This fascination is not new, by any means, and did not begin in the 20th century.



In the Late 1800s London England was hardly the clean and clear cut city centre it seems today. One of the worlds more infamous serial killers lived in this world, and stalked the streets of White Chapel, a small area of London, outside the Downtown area. He would become one of the world's most famous serial killers, partly due to his method, and more importantly he was the one who got away.

He would kill 5 women, all prostitutes, in such away that it drew the attention of both the public and police. Each woman was cut into with the accuracy of a Doctor or Butcher, and were missing one or more organs. The last Mary Kelly, was slashed in such away that it was near impossible to identify her.

Surprisingly, after these murders, it is believed that Jack the Ripper just disappeared, although he is often linked with a series of other murders, but with fewer proof then the original 5.

There are a number of theories of who the Ripper was, both contemporary and modern as our society has yet to tire of the myth. This was a muddy area even then, with supposed Copy cats that made the Ripper letters hard to authenticate. Even then a few in society were captivated with this Dark Man.

One of the first theories was it was a butcher, simply a poor man with a grudge against prostitutes. However, on the night of the double murder, (3rd and 4th) graffiti had been found near the second. It was wiped off by police, because they felt it would cause an anti Semitic upheaval in London.

While ""The Juwes are not The men That Will be Blamed for nothing." could have been a riddle, it fueled an already poor view of the Jewish community in Europe. In fact one of the men police had narrowed the search down to was a Polish Jew by the name of Aaron Kosminski. In fact there were a few Polishes on the suspect list, and there was no well known English man on the contemporary wanted list.

Modern day interpretations have been a little harsher and more objective then the original police. For example, the popular film "From Hell", brought the theory


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Jack the Ripper and serial killers: What's the cultural appeal?

  • 1 of 8

    by Rachel Leah

    In today's society we are obsessed with crime, in every facet possible. Our front pages are lined with stories; News casts

    read more

  • 2 of 8

    by Michelle Wilkinson

    Everybody loves a good mystery, and what more intriguing mystery is there than the brutal slaying of at least five women

    read more

  • 3 of 8

    by Ben Hughes

    Throughout history there have been occasional surges in crime and developments in types of crime which have produced changes

    read more

  • 4 of 8

    by JRR

    Even the mention of serial killers catches the attention of the public. For many it is a reaction of fear. For others it

    read more

  • by Marcus Brooks

    In our industrialized societies, the pendulum weighing morality and technology have shifted. We resided ourselves to enjoy

    read more

View All Articles on:
Jack the Ripper and serial killers: What's the cultural appeal?

Add your voice

Know something about Jack the Ripper and serial killers: What's the cultural appeal??
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Should Spain strike Franco from the history books?

Click for your side.

91914

Featured Partner

Northwoods Wildlife Center

Northwoods Wildlife Center has partnered with Helium, giving you the chance to write for a cause. Browse Northwo...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA