Jack the Ripper is a name given to an uncaught criminal who was extremely active in London in the late 19th century. Jack the Ripper was a serial killer and he operated in the Whitechapel district. The name was given to the killer after a local journalist claimed he had a letter from him, signed Jack the Ripper. Even so, apparently that was just a desperate attempt to highlight the story of Jack the Ripper in the media. The killer had other nicknames, too – The Whitechapel Murderer and Leather Apron. The murders involved prostitutes who were cut and mutilated and the connection between them was made quickly. Although there are a lot of theories about the identity of Jack the Ripper, nobody knows who the killer really was.

The killings were usually made during the weekend, so it was believed that Jack the Ripper worked during the week and that he was a local. Other theories claimed Jack the ripper was an intellectual, an aristocrat who ventured in the neighborhood only to do the crimes. Many suspected that Jack the Ripper was actually a doctor, as he had the custom to mutilate the victims and to remove their internal organs. Due to this fact it was believed that he had medical knowledge. After many years of investigation, many names were proposed on the list of suspects, although those people did not have anything to do with the case or they were simply famous and never considered by the police.

As everyone who was accused or suspected of being Jack the Ripper is now dead, theories still circulate, but without any evidence or historical base. Many people have thought about the identity and also the profession of Jack the Ripper and tried to collaborate with the authorities, but those working on the case never had a solution. The list of suspects in the case of Jack the Ripper had over 100 names, so it was hard to accuse someone without having any evidence. In present, there are hundreds of theories and because of the mystery surrounding Jack the Ripper, a lot of works of fictions have been created.