Alfred Hitchcock | Biography, Movies, The Birds, Psycho, Vertigo ...
Alfred Hitchcock was an English-born American motion-picture director whose suspenseful films and television programs won immense popularity ...
Jack the Ripper
Hitchcock grew up in London’s East End in a milieu once haunted by the notorious serial killer known as <anchor>Jack the Ripper</anchor>, talk of whom was still current in Hitchcock’s youth two decades later. Although he had two siblings, he recalled his youth as a lonely one, with a father who was a stern disciplinarian; it is said that he once ordered Alfred to appear at the local police station with a note saying that he had been misbehaving, whereupon the sergeant on duty (at the request of Hitchcock’s father) locked him up for a few minutes, a sufficient length of time to give Alfred a fear of enclosed spaces and a strong concern for wrongful imprisonment, both of which would figure in his later work. When he was not being disciplined, he was cosseted by an overly watchful mother, who used food as a balm—to which he would later trace his trademark paunch.
Jack the Ripper | Identity, Facts, Victims, and Suspects | Britannica
Jack the Ripper \| Identity, Facts, Victims, and Suspects \| Britannica

[![Encyclopedia Britannica](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/eb-logo/MendelNewThistleLogo.png)](/)

Search BritannicaClick here to search

[![Encyclopedia Britannica](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/eb-logo/MendelNewThistleLogo.png)](/)

Search BritannicaClick here to search

[Subscribe  Now](https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=global-nav&utm_campaign=evergreen)

[Subscribe](https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=global-nav-mobile&utm_campaign=evergreen)

Login

- [Home](/)
- [History & Society](/History-Society)
- [Science & Tech](/Science-Tech)
- [Biographies](/Biographies)
- [Animals & Nature](/Animals-Nature)
- [Geography & Travel](/Geography-Travel)
- [Arts & Culture](/Arts-Culture)
- [Money](/money)

- [Games & Quizzes](/quiz/browse)
- [Videos](/videos)
- [On This Day](/on-this-day)
- [One Good Fact](/one-good-fact)
- [Dictionary](/dictionary)
- [New Articles](/new-articles)

[History & Society](/History-Society)

- [Lifestyles & Social Issues](/browse/Lifestyles-Social-Issues)
- [Philosophy & Religion](/browse/Philosophy-Religion)
- [Politics, Law & Government](/browse/Politics-Law-Government)
- [World History](/browse/World-History)

[Science & Tech](/Science-Tech)

- [Health & Medicine](/browse/Health-Medicine)
- [Science](/browse/Science)
- [Technology](/browse/Technology)

[Biographies](/Biographies)

- [Browse Biographies](/browse/biographies)

[Animals & Nature](/Animals-Nature)

- [Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates](/browse/Birds-Reptiles-Vertebrates)
- [Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates](/browse/Bugs-Mollusks-Invertebrates)
- [Environment](/browse/Environment)
- [Fossils & Geologic Time](/browse/Fossil-Geologic-Time)
- [Mammals](/browse/Mammals)
- [Plants](/browse/Plants)

[Geography & Travel](/Geography-Travel)

- [Geography & Travel](/browse/Geography-Travel)

[Arts & Culture](/Arts-Culture)

- [Entertainment & Pop Culture](/browse/Entertainment-Pop-Culture)
- [Literature](/browse/Literature)
- [Sports & Recreation](/browse/Sports-Recreation)
- [Visual Arts](/browse/Visual-Arts)

- [Companions](/stories/companion)
- [Demystified](/stories/demystified)
- [Image Galleries](/gallery/browse)
- [Infographics](https://www.britannica.com/study/infographics)
- [Lists](/list/browse)
- [Podcasts](/podcasts)
- [Spotlight](/stories/spotlight)
- [Summaries](/summary)
- [The Forum](/stories/the-forum)
- [Top Questions](/question)
- [#WTFact](/stories/wtfact)

- [100 Women](https://www.britannica.com/explore/100women/)
- [Britannica Kids](https://kids.britannica.com/)
- [Saving Earth](https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/)
- [Space Next 50](https://www.britannica.com/explore/space/)
- [Student Center](https://www.britannica.com/study/)

[Ask the Chatbot](/chatbot) [Games & Quizzes](/quiz/browse) [History & Society](/History-Society) [Science & Tech](/Science-Tech) [Biographies](/Biographies) [Animals & Nature](/Animals-Nature) [Geography & Travel](/Geography-Travel) [Arts & Culture](/Arts-Culture) [Money](/money) [Videos](/videos)

[Jack the Ripper](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper)

Table of Contents


Introduction & Top Questions
[References & Edit History](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper/additional-info) [Quick Facts & Related Topics](/facts/Jack-the-Ripper)

[Images](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper/images-videos)

[![coverage of Jack the Ripper in The Illustrated Police News](https://cdn.britannica.com/16/119616-004-DC4BE86C/Incidents-Connection-engraving-Jack-the-Ripper-Doings-1888.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/16/119616-050-B3D54C61/Incidents-Connection-engraving-Jack-the-Ripper-Doings-1888.jpg)[![newspaper coverage of a murder committed by Jack the Ripper](https://cdn.britannica.com/68/213368-004-6C47E925/Whitechapel-murders-Jack-the-Ripper-London-Newspaper-September-1888.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/68/213368-050-5BA4FDE3/Whitechapel-murders-Jack-the-Ripper-London-Newspaper-September-1888.jpg)[![the discovery of one of Jack the Ripper's victims](https://cdn.britannica.com/72/213372-004-588A75D3/Illustration-Jack-the-Ripper-victim-London-England-Whitechapel-murders-September-1888.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/72/213372-050-FFB2FE44/Illustration-Jack-the-Ripper-victim-London-England-Whitechapel-murders-September-1888.jpg)[![letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper](https://cdn.britannica.com/74/213374-004-64F1A5E6/Jack-the-Ripper-letter-first-page-Whitechapel-murders-September-25-1888.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/74/213374-050-9C509158/Jack-the-Ripper-letter-first-page-Whitechapel-murders-September-25-1888.jpg)[![letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper](https://cdn.britannica.com/75/213375-004-CB97367D/Jack-the-Ripper-letter-second-page-Whitechapel-murders-September-25-1888.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/75/213375-050-8FA2CF88/Jack-the-Ripper-letter-second-page-Whitechapel-murders-September-25-1888.jpg)[![coverage of Jack the Ripper in The Illustrated Police News](https://cdn.britannica.com/70/213370-004-946EC39D/Illustrated-Police-News-Whitechapel-Murder-suspects-October-20-1888.jpg)](https://cdn.britannica.com/70/213370-050-46F4CF7F/Illustrated-Police-News-Whitechapel-Murder-suspects-October-20-1888.jpg)![On This Day August 7](https://cdn.britannica.com/14/218014-003-5AA92460/On-this-day-August-7.jpg)

For Students


[![](https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-124/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.124.78)](/summary/Jack-the-Ripper)

[Jack the Ripper summary](/summary/Jack-the-Ripper)

Quizzes


[![graphic of a person standing holding a knife. murder, kill, serial killer, stab](https://cdn.britannica.com/52/189352-131-763E692C/graphic-person-knife-murder-serial-killer-stab.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/quiz/famous-serial-killers)

[Famous Serial Killers](/quiz/famous-serial-killers)

Related Questions


- [Who was Jack the Ripper?](/question/Who-was-Jack-the-Ripper)
- [Is the identity of Jack the Ripper known?](/question/Is-the-identity-of-Jack-the-Ripper-known)
- [Who were Jack the Ripper’s victims?](/question/Who-were-Jack-the-Rippers-victims)
- [How is a homicide defined?](/question/How-is-a-homicide-defined)

Read Next


[![Shadow of a man holding large knife in his hand inside of some dark, spooky buiding](https://cdn.britannica.com/51/212551-131-CCA62CB1/Shadow-man-spooky-building-knife.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/7-of-historys-most-notorious-serial-killers)

[7 of History's Most Notorious Serial Killers](/list/7-of-historys-most-notorious-serial-killers)

[![Bonnie Parker mockingly points shotgun at Clyde Barrow. American bank robbers and lovers Clyde Barrow (1909 - 1934) and Bonnie Parker (1911 -1934), popularly known as Bonnie and Clyde, circa 1933. criminal, thief, robbery team](https://cdn.britannica.com/19/133719-131-8692A182/Bonnie-Parker-shotgun-Clyde-Barrow-1933.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/story/7-notorious-women-criminals)

[7 Notorious Women Criminals](/story/7-notorious-women-criminals)

[![Law legal system crime concept with gavel and scales of justice with books in the background. (mallet, judicial system).](https://cdn.britannica.com/11/238411-131-2CBFE7E4/scales-of-justice-gavel.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/story/what-are-the-differences-between-first--second--and-third-degree-murder)

[What Are the Differences Between First-, Second-, and Third-Degree Murder?](/story/what-are-the-differences-between-first--second--and-third-degree-murder)

[![Aerial view of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Mobile, Ala., May 6, 2010. Photo by U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft. BP spill](https://cdn.britannica.com/50/141350-131-D28373DE/view-oil-spill-coast-BP-Deepwater-Horizon-May-6-2010.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/modern-corporate-criminals)

[9 Modern Corporate Criminals](/list/modern-corporate-criminals)

[![Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that](https://cdn.britannica.com/71/196471-131-8FEA8DDD/Daily-Police-Bulletin-Elizabeth-Short-Black-Dahlia-January-1947.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/americas-5-most-notorious-cold-cases-including-one-you-may-have-thought-was-already-solved)

[America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)](/list/americas-5-most-notorious-cold-cases-including-one-you-may-have-thought-was-already-solved)

Discover


[![Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.](https://cdn.britannica.com/23/176123-131-94DCF6F8/Aphrodite.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/12-greek-gods-and-goddesses)

[12 Greek Gods and Goddesses](/list/12-greek-gods-and-goddesses)

[![President Kennedy address on Test Ban Treaty, White House, Oval Office, July 26, 1963. President John F. Kennedy, President Kennedy](https://cdn.britannica.com/46/146446-131-83C57663/John-F-Kennedy-Test-Ban-Treaty-Oval-July-26-1963.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/11-memorable-quotes-from-us-presidential-debates)

[11 Memorable Quotes from U.S. Presidential Debates](/list/11-memorable-quotes-from-us-presidential-debates)

[![Aladdin and the Efrite, jinn, genie.](https://cdn.britannica.com/07/186707-131-EE0952B0/Efrite-Aladdin-jinn.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/5-creepy-things-from-the-thousand-and-one-nights)

[5 Creepy Things from _The Thousand and One Nights_](/list/5-creepy-things-from-the-thousand-and-one-nights)

[![Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada,  2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics](https://cdn.britannica.com/13/134913-131-D9520745/Ice-Sledge-Hockey-Canada-Cup-USA-ice-2010.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/10-best-hockey-players-of-all-time)

[10 Best Hockey Players of All Time](/list/10-best-hockey-players-of-all-time)

[![Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society](https://cdn.britannica.com/31/142331-131-EE300AF6/basketball-Orange-background-lighting-Homepage-entertainment-history-2010.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/the-10-greatest-basketball-players-of-all-time)

[The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time](/list/the-10-greatest-basketball-players-of-all-time)

[![Andrew Jackson delivering a speech while on his way to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration in 1829. From Harper's Weekly, 1881.](https://cdn.britannica.com/94/182194-131-A1441287/Andrew-Jackson-town-supporters-inauguration-way-1829.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/list/5-remarkably-close-us-presidential-elections)

[5 Remarkably Close U.S. Presidential Elections](/list/5-remarkably-close-us-presidential-elections)

[![Presidential Debate Bingo. As candidates for the Republican Party's nomination for the 2024 presidential election take to the stage to debate the issues and each other, keep track of the facts you need to know with updated Britannica entries. As with every Bingo game, if you connect five tiles in a row, celebrate!](https://cdn.britannica.com/66/249866-004-B67557FB/presidential-debate-bingo.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop)](/story/presidential-debate-bingo)

[Presidential Debate Bingo](/story/presidential-debate-bingo)


Contents


[Politics, Law & Government](/browse/Politics-Law-Government)[Law, Crime & Punishment](/browse/Law-Crime-Punishment)[Crime & Anti-Crime](/browse/Crime-Terrorism)

# Jack the Ripper

English murderer



Actions




Share



Share


Share to social media

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/) [X](https://x.com/britannica)

URL

[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper)



Share



Share


Share to social media

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/) [X](https://x.com/britannica)

URL

[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper)


Written by


[John Philip Jenkins\
\
Distinguished Professor of History, Baylor University. Author of _A History of the United States_, _Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in America_, _Synthetic Panics: The Symbolic..._](/contributor/John-Philip-Jenkins/4586)

John Philip Jenkins

Fact-checked by

[The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica\
\
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.](/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated:

Jul 22, 2024
• [Article History](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-the-Ripper/additional-info#history)


Table of Contents


Quick Facts

Flourished: August 1888 - November 1888_(Show more)_

[See all related content →](/facts/Jack-the-Ripper)

Top Questions


### Who was Jack the Ripper?

Jack the Ripper was an English serial killer. Between August and November 1888, he murdered at least five women—all prostitutes—in or near the Whitechapel district of London’s East End. Jack the Ripper was never identified or arrested. Today the murder sites are the locus of a macabre tourist industry in London.

### Is the identity of Jack the Ripper known?

Jack the Ripper is famous in part because his identity is unknown. For years people have speculated about his identity. Commonly cited suspects include Montague Druitt, a barrister and teacher with an interest in surgery; Michael Ostrog, a Russian criminal and physician; and Aaron Kosminski, a Polish immigrant who lived in Whitechapel.

### Who were Jack the Ripper’s victims?

The five canonical victims of Jack the Ripper were Mary Ann Nichols (found August 31, 1888), Annie Chapman (found September 8, 1888), Elizabeth Stride (found September 30, 1888), Catherine Eddowes (also found September 30, 1888), and Mary Jane Kelly (found November 9, 1888). All the victims were prostitutes. All of their corpses had been mutilated.

### Where did Jack the Ripper commit the murders?

Jack the Ripper committed at least five murders in or near the Whitechapel district of London’s [East End](https://www.britannica.com/place/East-End).

### What was unique about the murders committed by Jack the Ripper?

All of Jack the Ripper’s victims were prostitutes, and all but one were killed while soliciting customers on the street. In each instance the victim’s throat was cut, and the body was mutilated in a manner indicating that the murderer had at least some knowledge of human anatomy.

**Jack the Ripper**, pseudonymous murderer of at least five women in or near the Whitechapel district of London’s East End between August and November 1888. The case is one of the most famous unsolved mysteries of English crime. Some dozen murders between 1888 and 1892 have been speculatively attributed to Jack the Ripper, but only five of those, all committed in 1888, were linked by police to a single murderer. The so-called “canonical five” victims were Mary Ann Nichols (whose body was found on August 31), Annie Chapman (found September 8), Elizabeth Stride (found September 30), Catherine (Kate) Eddowes (found ...(100 of 606 words)

[![](https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp)\
\
Access the full article\
\
Trust your source with Britannica Premium\
\
• 7-Day Free Trial \
\
• No Ads\
\
• Unlimited Access](https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=gist&utm_campaign=blue-design-2024)

[Subscribe Today](https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=gist&utm_campaign=blue-design-2024)

**History at your fingertips –**
Sign up here to see what happened On This Day, every day in your inbox!


Enter your email

Subscribe

By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Click here to view our [Privacy Notice](https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy-policy). Easy unsubscribe links are provided in every email.


Thank you for subscribing!

Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.

Stay Connected

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/) [X](https://x.com/britannica) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/encyclopaediabritannica) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/britannica/)

- [About Us & Legal Info](https://corporate.britannica.com)
- [Contact Us](https://corporate.britannica.com/contact/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy-policy)
- [Terms of Use](https://corporate.britannica.com/termsofuse.html)
- [Diversity](https://corporate.britannica.com/diversity)

©2024 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.