Theodore John Kaczynski

CAPTURED! 

Description

Date of Birth:  May 22, 1942

Place of Birth:  Chicago, Illinois

Hair:  Brown
   
Eyes:  Brown

Race:  White

Occupation: Mathematician

Additional:  The man who would become best known as being the Unibomber was the second generation son of Polish-American parents. 

He excelled in school from an early age and scholastic testing estimated he had an IQ of over 165.  When he started high school his teachers soon discovered he had an aptitude for mathematics. 

Kaczynski was accepted to Harvard University when he was just 16 years old and went onto receive a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. 

Although he worked briefly as an undergraduate professor, he eventually abandoned his career so he could move to a small remote cabin in Montana. 

It wasn’t until he became frustrated with the urbanization of the wilderness that he set his sights on bomb making.

Aliases:  Ted, The Unibomber

Wanted For:  Murder, Homegrown terrorism

The Story

Kaczynski started his bomb spree in 1978 when he sent his first homemade bomb to a professor at Northwestern University. 

His intended target was not harmed but a campus security officer sustained minor injuries when the device exploded.

Another bomb was sent to the university one year later, with two more sent to American Airlines in the years to follow. 

The FBI became involved and went onto call the case the University and Airline Bombing, which is where the term “Unibomber” came from.

As the years went on the explosives became more and more dangerous.  The first fatality came from a device that was sent to a computer store owner in 1985.  Two additional people were killed in 1996.  By the time all was said and done, the Unibomber injured 22 and committed three murders.

The first real break in the case came after Kaczynski sent out a 35,000-word manifesto, which focused on the problems of modern society.  

His brother, David, wound up reading the essay and tipped off police that the author may be his brother.

Federal investigators arrested Kaczynski on April 3, 1996.  He went onto plead guilty to more than a dozen federal charges and is serving four life sentences for his crimes.

Last Updated:  06/11/2014