Ted Kaczynski aka the Unabomber was perhaps one of America’s most dangerous domestic terrorists of all time. Although he was a mathematics prodigy, in 1969, he decided to lead a primitive lifestyle.
Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski conducted a nationwide mail bombing campaign against people who he believed were fueling modern technology. He furthermore believed that these people were destroying nature. Kaczynski’s campaign led to the death of three individuals, along with 23 others getting injured. He also penned “Industrial Society and Its Future”, a manifesto and social critique, which contained his philosophy and beliefs.
Ted Kaczynski enrolled at the University of Michigan in the year 1962, where he received his master’s and doctoral degrees in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He soon became an acting assistant professor but resigned from his post without explanation on June 30, 1969.
In 2021, Tony Stone directed, produced, and edited a film titled Ted K, in which the South African actor Sharlto Copley portrayed Kaczynski.
Why was Ted Kaczynski called the Unabomber?
Elliott Halpern, the producer of the 2020 docu-series, Unabomber: In His Own Words, stated, “The FBI used the case identifier UNABOM referring to Ted’s bomb attacks on universities and airlines.” In the word Unabomber, UN derives from university and A derives from airline. Furthermore, BOM originates from the word, bomber.
After terrorizing the country for almost 20 years, officials finally captured him on April 3, 1996. Officials learned about his whereabouts from his family members, Linda Patrik (sister-in-law) and David Kaczynski (biological brother). In 1998, the court sentenced him to eight consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to The New York Times, Ted Kaczynski committed suicide at a federal prison medical center in North Carolina in June 2023. At the time of his death, he was 81 years old.
