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1. What we learned about the topic that surprised us the most is that Jack the Ripper has maintained hiding is identity and managed to get away with 5 murders. That to us is shocking because in today's day and age (which is obviously much different than back in 1888), getting caught for doing anything illegal is so much easier due to our technology.
2. We find this topic relevant because in real life we have actually watched some videos on YouTube that go in depth explaining the whole story behind Jack the Ripper and his serial killing spree and it is just very sickening.
3. The research we found most interesting is that he only killed women. Throughout his killing spree, he killed 5 women and they all happened shortly after each other. There will never be anything to tell us why it was ONLY women that he was after. That is very interesting and makes us wonder why.
4. The one thing we are most likely to remember is that he was an unidentified serial killer. Usually when people kill anybody there is pictures of them or something to show others what the murderer looks like to alarm and make citizens aware of the criminal.
5. The one pseudoscience belief we think is the most harmful is Ancient Wisdom because there are some parents that think that vaccinating their children could give them health problems so they don't vaccinate their kids. This could end up in them catching diseases. The least harmful is probably Red Herring because all it really does is distract someone. It could be a simple distraction such as having a conversation with somebody and then interjecting the topic at hand with a statement that could change the topic to something else.
6. The most important thing about this course that I would pass on to a family member or friend is that it's important to not believe everything you see, and that you should ask questions, as well as form your own unique opinions in life.

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Description: This picture is of a man who scientists now believe was Jack The Ripper. Just 2 days ago (March 19th), various articles, videos and pictures of this man were published after scientists gathered DNA from a JTR crime scene that linked to him.

Connection: This falls under "Simplicity" because we are just now taking this evidence that is over 100 years old and believing it just for the sake having closure on this matter. There is no way to know whether or not this evidence has been tainted with or what has happened to it in such a length of time. Our critical thinking is not being exercised as we are letting confirmation bias take over. We are only acknowledging the information that coincide with our beliefs, and ignoring the ones that don't. We should be more skeptic of this new found information as it's possible that is a bit of an exaggeration.

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Description: Within this video, they state how Jack The Ripper was given his name. It happened after a letter was written to the media, allegedly by Jack himself. It was later revealed that the letter was a fraud.

Connection: This connects to Agenticity because it shows how humans have a natural instinct to assign belief and meaning to things they cannot see. They did this with Jack after the letter was written. They very much wanted to believe that they had an understanding for what was going on. People seemed to just let Red Herrings take over as they believed this information without it being concrete evidence that it was in fact, Jack himself who wrote the letter. The critical thinking process was not used as they all just automatically assumed that they could believe the information presented to them. They definitely were not skeptic enough and this put a limitation on finding the truth

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Jack The Ripper Identity Finally Revealed Thanks To Forensic Science

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Description:
This video below describes and shows how it is Unexplained. Nobody knows who Jack the Ripper actually is.
Connection:
This video connects to Unexplained because Jack the Ripper's identity was never actually identified. There were many drawings, sketches, and speculation on what he looked like. There was never actually any piece of evidence that confirmed what Jack the Ripper actually looked like.  Skepticism does not need to be applied here because it is true information, he was never found and his identity remains unknown due to the fact that he was never discovered.

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The Most Infamous Serial Killer - Why Was He Never Found?

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Description: This picture is an image of multiple sketches of Jack The Ripper, given by multiple citizens in the year 1888. There appears to be some sort of theme going on with all these sketches.

Connection: We can connect this picture to Patternicity because of the fact that all of these sketches appear to be a middle aged man with facial hair, who also wears a hat in most scenarios. If he isn't wearing hat, his hair is fairly short. This fact would have been a good point for policemen to base their searches off of. Their critical thinking would've been easier because it would allow them to narrow down their searches to men who fit the part. However, there would be more biases and flaws involved because they would only be looking for a certain type of man, and Jack could easily change is appearance. This could also result in a confirmation bias, as policemen would agree to only search for a certain type of individual, making the likelihood of finding Jack even more slim.

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Description:
The video below shows Confirmation Bias. It shows footage from what looks to be a documentary that they made on Jack the Ripper.
Connection:
This video connects to the Red Flag Confirmation Bias because it tells a lot of true facts that the watcher will agree to and believe in which will make you disbelieve opposing opinions. It tells facts about how the victims were seen by people and suddenly disappeared because of Jack and the killings he would perform on those women. Skepticism does not need to be applied to this video because it is a long in depth video covering a lot of detail that is well known information about Jack the Ripper.

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Description:
The picture below shows a pattern. Jack the Ripper's victims were ONLY women. They were all killed one after another and he only went after women and there was never a reason given why.
Connection:
This picture below connects to Patternicity because it shows the pattern that only women were killed. In his killing spree Jack the Ripper went after those 5 women and only those 5 women. No men were harmed in his spree. We can also apply this to "Emotional Connection" because Jack may of had a resentment against women, which would be why he only attacked females. This could stem from an early negative childhood experience. His mom was possibly abusive. Skepticism does not need to be applied because again, there are multiple sources that talk about how the murders happend within a short time span and it is also known that the only victims were women.

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Description: This article is the story of Jack The Ripper. It talks about how the identity of the killer was never found and how it won't likely ever be found.

Connection: This article connects to the reason for belief "Unexplained". This is because the article tells us about how Jack could never be identified, so it is left to the world as a complete mystery. What we should do is apply the critical thinking process to each piece of evidence on Jack The Ripper. This way we could dissect all the information given and find the best answer. We could possibly solve the mystery of him. It is important to be skeptic of the information. However, you don't want to believe everything you read.

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Jack the Ripper terrorized London in 1888, killing at least five women and mutilating their bodies in an unusual manner, indicating that the killer had a substantial knowledge of human anatomy. The culprit was never captured-or even identified-and Jack the Ripper remains one of England's, and the world's, most infamous criminals.

All five killings attributed to Jack the Ripper took place within a mile of each other, in or near the Whitechapel district of London's East End, from August 7 to September 10, 1888. Several other murders occurring around that time period have also been investigated as the work of "Leather Apron" (another nickname given to the murderer).

A number of letters were allegedly sent by the killer to the London Metropolitan Police Service (often known as Scotland Yard), taunting officers about his gruesome activities and speculating on murders to come. The moniker "Jack the Ripper" originates from a letter-which may have been a hoax-published at the time of the attacks.

Despite countless investigations claiming definitive evidence of the brutal killer's identity, his or her name and motive are still unknown.

Various theories about Jack the Ripper's identity have been produced over the past several decades, which include claims accusing the famous Victorian painter Walter Sickert, a Polish migrant and even the grandson of Queen Victoria. Since 1888, more than 100 suspects have been named, contributing to widespread folklore and ghoulish entertainment surrounding the mystery.

The 'Whitechapel Butcher'

In the late 1800s, London's East End was a place that was viewed by citizens with either compassion or utter contempt. Despite being an area where skilled immigrants-mainly Jews and Russians-came to begin a new life and start businesses, the district was notorious for squalor, violence and crime.

Prostitution was only illegal if the practice caused a public disturbance, and thousands of brothels and low-rent lodging houses provided sexual services during the late 19th century.

At that time, the death or murder of a working girl was rarely reported in the press or discussed within polite society. The reality was that "ladies of the night" were subject to physical attacks, which sometimes resulted in death.

Among these common violent crimes was the attack of English prostitute Emma Smith, who was beaten and raped with an object by four men. Smith, who later died of peritonitis, is remembered as one of many unfortunate female victims who were killed by gangs demanding protection money.

However, the series of killings that began in August 1888 stood out from other violent crime of the time: Marked by sadistic butchery, they suggested a mind more sociopathic and hateful than most citizens could comprehend.

Jack the Ripper didn't just snuff out life with a knife, he mutilated and disemboweled women, removing organs such as kidneys and utereses, and his crimes seemed to portray an abhorrence for the entire female gender.

The Legacy of Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper's murders suddenly stopped in the fall of 1888, but London citizens continued to demand answers that would not come, even more than a century later. The ongoing case-which has spawned an industry of books, films, TV series and historical tours-has met with a number of hindrances, including lack of evidence, a gamut of misinformation and false testimony, and tight regulations by the Scotland Yard.

Jack the Ripper has been the topic of news stories for more than 120 years, and will likely continue to be for decades to come.

More recently, in 2011, British detective Trevor Marriott, who has long been investigating the Jack the Ripper murders, made headlines when he was denied access to uncensored documents surrounding the case by the Metropolitan Police.

According to a 2011 ABC News article, London officers had refused to give Marriott the files because they include protected information about police informants, and that handing over the documents could impede on the possibility of future testimony by modern-day informants.

Biography courtesy of BIO.com

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Jack the Ripper - Identity, Victims & Suspects

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Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who terrorized London in 1888, killing at least five women and mutilating their bodies in an unusual manner, indicating that the killer had a substantial knowledge of human anatomy.

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Description:
This website is describing a general history of Jack the Ripper. It goes in depth and tells the reader about how he murdered 5 women and mutilated their bodies, how he is the world's most infamous criminal, and how he is unidentified.
Connection:
This website relates to Confusion of Causation and Correlation because these murders happened around the same time and had an affect on each other. There were 5 murders that happened around the same time and they had an affect on each other because they kept happening one after another. I think that we don't need to apply skepticism because it is known that Jack the Ripper did murder 5 women and mutilated their bodies. There are many different sources that say that so that is a piece of information that is very believable.

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Jack the Ripper terrorized London in 1888, killing at least five women and mutilating their bodies in an unusual manner, indicating that the killer had a substantial knowledge of human anatomy. The culprit was never captured-or even identified-and Jack the Ripper remains one of England's, and the world's, most infamous criminals.

All five killings attributed to Jack the Ripper took place within a mile of each other, in or near the Whitechapel district of London's East End, from August 7 to September 10, 1888. Several other murders occurring around that time period have also been investigated as the work of "Leather Apron" (another nickname given to the murderer).

A number of letters were allegedly sent by the killer to the London Metropolitan Police Service (often known as Scotland Yard), taunting officers about his gruesome activities and speculating on murders to come. The moniker "Jack the Ripper" originates from a letter-which may have been a hoax-published at the time of the attacks.

Despite countless investigations claiming definitive evidence of the brutal killer's identity, his or her name and motive are still unknown.

Various theories about Jack the Ripper's identity have been produced over the past several decades, which include claims accusing the famous Victorian painter Walter Sickert, a Polish migrant and even the grandson of Queen Victoria. Since 1888, more than 100 suspects have been named, contributing to widespread folklore and ghoulish entertainment surrounding the mystery.

The 'Whitechapel Butcher'

In the late 1800s, London's East End was a place that was viewed by citizens with either compassion or utter contempt. Despite being an area where skilled immigrants-mainly Jews and Russians-came to begin a new life and start businesses, the district was notorious for squalor, violence and crime.

Prostitution was only illegal if the practice caused a public disturbance, and thousands of brothels and low-rent lodging houses provided sexual services during the late 19th century.

At that time, the death or murder of a working girl was rarely reported in the press or discussed within polite society. The reality was that "ladies of the night" were subject to physical attacks, which sometimes resulted in death.

Among these common violent crimes was the attack of English prostitute Emma Smith, who was beaten and raped with an object by four men. Smith, who later died of peritonitis, is remembered as one of many unfortunate female victims who were killed by gangs demanding protection money.

However, the series of killings that began in August 1888 stood out from other violent crime of the time: Marked by sadistic butchery, they suggested a mind more sociopathic and hateful than most citizens could comprehend.

Jack the Ripper didn't just snuff out life with a knife, he mutilated and disemboweled women, removing organs such as kidneys and utereses, and his crimes seemed to portray an abhorrence for the entire female gender.

The Legacy of Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper's murders suddenly stopped in the fall of 1888, but London citizens continued to demand answers that would not come, even more than a century later. The ongoing case-which has spawned an industry of books, films, TV series and historical tours-has met with a number of hindrances, including lack of evidence, a gamut of misinformation and false testimony, and tight regulations by the Scotland Yard.

Jack the Ripper has been the topic of news stories for more than 120 years, and will likely continue to be for decades to come.

More recently, in 2011, British detective Trevor Marriott, who has long been investigating the Jack the Ripper murders, made headlines when he was denied access to uncensored documents surrounding the case by the Metropolitan Police.

According to a 2011 ABC News article, London officers had refused to give Marriott the files because they include protected information about police informants, and that handing over the documents could impede on the possibility of future testimony by modern-day informants.

Biography courtesy of BIO.com

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Jack the Ripper - Identity, Victims & Suspects

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Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who terrorized London in 1888, killing at least five women and mutilating their bodies in an unusual manner, indicating that the killer had a substantial knowledge of human anatomy.

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Description: This website talks about witness sightings of Jack The Ripper. It shows how peoples perceptions of things can often differ from one another.

Connection: We can connect this website to the reason for belief known as "Perception and Observation". This is because one woman, by the name of Mary Ann Cox, described Jack as a "blotchy-faced man with a carroty mustache", where multiple citizens had their own sketches done, and they had all come up with different appearances for Jack. This shows that people do often see things in various ways and will remember things differently. We could also connect this to the red flag "Confirmation Bias" because people are possibly only remembering the things that they wan't to remember about Jack, things that stick out to them. The police would need to be skeptical about these witness sightings and maybe not believe every single one they hear. They wouldn't want to confuse someone for Jack The Ripper, who was actually innocent. Their critical thinking process would be put to the test to avoid any sorts of biases and confusions

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In the weeks that followed the murder of Mary Kelly - which took place in Miller's Court, off Dorset Street, on 9th November 1888 - people in the East End of London were on high alert for any sign that "Jack the Ripper" was about to carry out another murder in the district.

In addition to the huge number of letters that purported to come from the perpetrator of the atrocities, various witnesses had come forward to claim that they may have seen Mary Kelly in the company of her murderer in the hours leading up to her demise, and various descriptions of the murderer were being circulated.

THE MAN SEEN BY MARY ANN COX

One of those descriptions was given by Mary Ann Cox, a neighbour of Mary Kelly's, who testified that she had seen Mary Kelly returning home, drunk, around the midnight prior to her murder. She was, so Cox stated, in the company of a "blotchy-faced man with a carroty moustache."

GEORGE HUTCHINSON'S DESCRIPTION

George Hutchinson, the man who had met Mary Kelly on Commercial Street in the early hours of 9th November, 1888, had also given a description of the man he had seen Mary kelly lead into Miller's Court.

PEOPLE ON THE LOOKOUT

As a consequence of these sighting, various descriptions and depictions of these men appeared in the newspapers, and the residents of Whitechapel and Spitalfields now, so it was believed, now had an idea of the type of person they should be looking out for; and, in consequence, anybody who even remotely resembled this description was liable to attract unwanted attention from vigilant passersby.

THE POLICE DESCRIPTION WAS DIFFERENT

Interestingly, as the following article, which appeared in The Gloucester Citizen on Friday 16th November 1888, demonstrates, the police themselves, or, at least, the constables on the beat in the area, had their own ideas of what the perpetrator of the crimes looked like and, as is apparent from the last paragraph of the article, it was at odds with the descriptions of the miscreant that were being circulated in the popular press.

However, the article also reported on a bizarre happening in Battersea, plus the news that yet another letter had been received from the "murderer" in which he warned them that he was going to kill again on the following Wednesday.

The article read:-

THE WHITECHAPEL MURDER
A MYSTERIOUS LOCK OF HAIR

"The funeral of the murdered woman Kelly has been arranged to take place on Monday.

The excitement in the neighbourhood of Dorset-street has considerably subsided, but two policemen still guard the entrance to Millers-court, to the great inconvenience of the humble dwellers therein, and the pecuniary loss of the landlord, M'Carthy, who is losing tenants every day.

The police at Battersea are in search of a man who is stated to answer to the description of the man wanted for the murderer of Mary Jane Kelly.

He was seen under somewhat singular circumstances yesterday afternoon. He entered a coffee-house in that neighbourhood, and displayed a lock of hair, which is stated to have been human, with congealed blood attached.

No one thought to detain him, but information was subsequently given to the police. I

t is understood that he left the hair behind him.

ANOTHER LETTER

The police have received another letter from "Jack the Ripper."

It commenced "Dear Boss," and went on to explain that the writer always addressed his cousin in those terms.

He threatened to perpetrate another murder in the locality on Wednesday next, on which occasion he would inflict similar injuries on his victim to those on Kelly.

At a late hour last night, no one was detained in connection with the murders. Earlier in the evening, an arrest was made, but, after inquiry, the man was liberated.

ANOTHER PRIVATE DETECTIVE BUSY

Mr. Galloway, a clerk employed in the City, and living at Stepney, has made the following statement:-

"As I was going down the Whitechapel-road in the early hours of Wednesday morning, on my way home, I saw a man coming in the opposite direction, about fifty yards away.

We both crossed the road simultaneously and came face to face to face.

The man had a very frightened appearance, and glared at me as he passed.

I was very much struck with his appearance, especially as he corresponded, in almost every particular, with the man described by Mary Ann Cox.

He was short, stout, about thirty-five to forty years of age. His moustache, not a particularly heavy one, was of a carroty colour, and his face was blotchy through drink and dissipation. He wore a long, dirty, brown overcoat, and altogether presented a most villainous appearance.

I stood still and watched him.

He darted back almost immediately to the other side of the road, and then, apparently to avoid a group of women a little further on, crossed the road again.

I determined to follow him, and, just before reaching the coffee-stall past the church, he again crossed the road.

On nearing George-yard, he crossed over and entered a small court. He re-appeared in a couple of minutes, crossed Whitechapel-road for the sixth time, and proceeded along Commercial-street.

Up to this point he had walked along briskly, but directly he got into Commercial-street he slackened his speed and accosted the first woman whom he met alone, but was repulsed.

On approaching Thrawl-street a policeman on point duty suddenly appeared.

THE POLICEMAN DECLINED TO ARREST HIM

The man was evidently startled, and for a moment it looked as though he would turn back or cross the road.

He soon recovered himself, however, and went on.

I then informed the constable of what I had seen and pointed out the man's extraordinary resemblance to the individual described by Cox.

The constable declined to arrest the man, saying that he was looking for a man of a very different appearance."

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In the aftermath of the murder of Mary Kelly, which took place on the 9th of November, 1888, the police were inundated with reports from all over London from people who claimed that they may have seen Jack the Ripper.

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By Matthew Smith and Kris Handson