It is inevitable that a case as infamous as that of the Jack the Ripper murders should, over the years, have become the subject of an awful lot of myth making.

Even at the time of the atrocities all sorts of rumours and stories that were circulating in the district about the victims and the murderer found their way into the daily newspapers where many of them became accepted as fact.

In time these fallacies were picked up by authors who included them in books on the crimes, with the result that many of them have now become established tenets of ripper lore.

JACK THE RIPPER MYTHS

A large number of those myths are still being trotted out today, and are repeated over and over again in books, documentaries, films, as well as on webpages and social media posts, whilst several of the contributors to these outlets have added their own misconceptions to the field of ripper studies.

As Stephen Knight put it in his 1976 book “Jack the Ripper The Final Solution”:- “

It is a sombre reflection that in the case of Jack the Ripper several so-called serious historians have betrayed their responsibility and set down in print their own invented details and baseless speculation as definite fact.”

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE JACK THE RIPPER CASE
THE VIDEO

In my my latest video, I will attempt to put aside invented details and baseless speculation, and delve into the history of the Whitechapel murders to explode 10 common myths about Jack the Ripper.

You can watch the video below.

WHAT ARE THE MYTHS?

There are all sort of myths circulating about the crimes of history’s most infamous crime spree.

Even the name by which he is known is a complete and utter myths, since it is a certainty that the murderer’s name was not Jack the Ripper.

That name was probably invented by a journalist, and was first used in late September 1888 when the “Dear Boss” letter, signed “Jack the Ripper” was sent to the offices of the Central News press agency on New Bridge Street in the City of London.

The missive was made public in early October, and the name caught on immediately, with the result that the killer ever after became known under the sobriquet of the signature.

TOP HATS AND BLACK BAGS

Around the same time, the murderer also acquired two items of apparel that he is rarely without in films and television dramas on the murders – a top hat and a black bag.

The video looks at how the idea that he wore and carried such items is explored, as well as other myths, which are now often published as historical fact in articles and books about the Whitechapel murders.

LET THE MYTH BUSTING BEGIN

I hope that you enjoy the video, and, if you have any myths of your own – or should that be if you are aware of any myths that you think are of interest, please do share them in the comments section of the video.

Enjoy!