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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
"Jack the Ripper's Mark." April 25, 1891. The Sun (New York, NY), Image 1. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
In 1888, a mysterious criminal from the streets of London became a household name. Jack The Ripper haunted the narrow streets and back alleys of the Whitechapel district, preying on vulnerable women. When the news traveled to the United States, it created mass hysteria, and inspired many copycat killings. Though police worked hard to find the culprit, and many men stepped forward claiming to be the infamous "Whitechapel Fiend", Jack the Ripper's true identity was never discovered. Read on to discover how Jack the Ripper terrified the World. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| November 23, 1888 | A letter received from "Jack the Ripper's pal" states that the two are responsible for the recent Whitechapel murders. |
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| December 17, 1888 | A man falsely claiming to be Jack the Ripper is arrested for assaulting a woman. |
| December 21, 1888 | Another woman is murdered by Jack the Ripper. |
| December 26, 1888 | A murderer in Philadelphia copies the crimes of Jack the Ripper. |
| December 27, 1888 | Several in Brussels, including King Leopold, receive telegrams announcing that Jack the Ripper will strike in Belgium. |
| January 5, 1889 | Hysteria spreads among the women of London at the Ripper's evasion of the police. |
| October 24, 1890 | Another woman is killed by Jack the Ripper. |
| April 25, 1891 | New York police believe Jack the Ripper is responsible for a recent murder based on the eyewitness description of the perpetrator. |
