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Ted Kaczynski

American mathematician and domestic terrorist (1942-2023) · United States · Died at 81

Why now

Ted Kaczynski is portrayed in Unabomber, a film that came out on 25 September 2026.

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A mathematics prodigy who walked away from academia in 1969 to live in a cabin without electricity, then murdered three people and injured 23 others in a 17-year mail bombing campaign targeting what he saw as technological civilization's assault on wilderness and human freedom.

Historical FiguresAcademicMathematicsLiteraturePhilosophyUnited StatesAmericas20th Century

A life in dates

2026
Ted Kaczynski is portrayed in Unabomber, a film that came out on 25 September 2026.25 September 2026, See the moment2023Died10 June 20231999“But what first motivated me wasn’t anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods.”In their wordsJune 1999Interview with Earth First! in Administrative Maximum Facility Prison, Florence, Colorado, USA, (June 1999)

1995“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.”In their words"Introduction", paragraph 1

1985“Recently I camped in a paradise like glacial cirque. At evening, beautiful singing of birds was ruined by the obscene roar of jet planes.”In their wordsMay 1985Journal (May 1985)

1971“My motive for what I am going to do is simply personal revenge.”In their words6 April 1971Journal (April 6, 1971)

1966“Just then came a major turning point in my life. Like a Phoenix, I burst from the ashes of my despair to a glorious new hope.”In their wordsMemoir, describing his decision in 1966 to become a serial killer

1942Born22 May 1942

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Kaczynski (bottom right) with other merit scholarship finalists from his high schoolKaczynski (bottom right) with other merit scholarship finalists from his high school8 Prescott St, Kaczynski's home during his first year at Harvard8 Prescott St, Kaczynski's home during his first year at HarvardKaczynski's diplomas from Harvard University and the University of MichiganKaczynski's diplomas from Harvard University and the University of MichiganKaczynski as an assistant professor at UC Berkeley in 1968Kaczynski as an assistant professor at UC Berkeley in 1968Bible belonging to Kaczynski, found in his cabinBible belonging to Kaczynski, found in his cabinKaczynski's cabin, photographed in 1996Kaczynski's cabin, photographed in 1996Driver's license photo of Kaczynski from 1978, around the time the first bombs were mailedDriver's license photo of Kaczynski from 1978, around the time the first bombs were mailed

In their own words 10

,
Ted Kaczynski
,
10 statements, newest first

  1. But what first motivated me wasn’t anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods.

    Jun 1999, Interview with Earth First! in Administrative Maximum Facility Prison, Florence, Colorado, USA, (June 1999), Own words

  2. The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.

    1995, "Introduction", paragraph 1, Own words

  3. Recently I camped in a paradise like glacial cirque. At evening, beautiful singing of birds was ruined by the obscene roar of jet planes.

    May 1985, Journal (May 1985), Own words

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About this person

Theodore John Kaczynski was born May 22, 1942, and showed early brilliance in mathematics before abandoning his academic career in 1969 for a reclusive primitive life. In 1971 he moved to a remote cabin without electricity or running water near Lincoln, Montana, learning survival skills and seeking self-sufficiency. After witnessing the destruction of the wilderness around him, he concluded that living in nature was becoming impossible and turned to terrorism, beginning a nationwide mail bombing campaign in 1978 that would span 17 years and become the FBI's longest and most expensive investigation. In 1995 he sent a letter promising to stop if major newspapers published his 35,000-word manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future, which opposed all forms of technology and advocated violent revolution; The Washington Post printed it that September, and his brother David recognized the prose style and reported him to the FBI. Arrested in 1996, he fought his lawyers' insanity defense, pleaded guilty in 1998, and received consecutive life sentences without parole. He died by suicide in prison on June 10, 2023, months after stopping treatment for cancer.

Country
United States
Type
Other
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1942 to 2023 · aged 81

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