Picture this (pause) it’s a frigid winter night and you seem to have lost your way. You find yourself in a desolate alley, surrounded by mist. As the shivers run up your spine, a figure comes into view. You try to get their attention, but in the blink of an eye, they disappear. You stumble forward in pursuit of the mysterious silhouette, only to plunge face first onto the ground. As you struggle to find your footing, you realize what you have tripped over; a body. I’m Marie. I’m Veronica. And our Genius hour question was: “What makes some serial killers more notorious than others?” We started with the most notorious of the bunch, The Zodiac Killer. Operating mainly out of Northern California, the Zodiac managed to rack up a total of 37 victims.…show more content… Jack the Ripper (also known as “the Whitechapel murderer” or “Leather Apron”) was active from 1888-1891 but is still known to be one of the most terrifying serial killers in all of history. Jack the Ripper mutilated victims and took out their internal organs, hence the word “ripper” being used in his alias. In the Whitechapel district of London, England, this killer ran rampant killing multiple “ladies of the night”, 5 of which have become his most famous killings. These killings are now referred to as the “Canonical Five.” The Canonical Five was composed of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. All the victims minus Elizabeth Stride, were slashed across the throat and had their abdomens ripped open. For a few of his victims, he kept some of their internal organs. Even after all his killings, police never identified him although over 20 people have been suspected. The only hints he ever left behind was they way he left his victims and a letter including a kidney of one of the victims. The works of this killer have been looked over so many times that a term has been coined to refer to people who study and analyze his killings, Ripperology. Jack the Ripper is now not only a cold blooded murderer, but also a pop culture