SACRAMENTO — 1978 · Serial Murder
The "Unabomber" Bombings
Between 1978 and 1995, 16 bombs were mailed or hand-placed in the US, targeting universities, airlines and people associated with technology. Three people were killed and 23 injured; two deaths occurred in Sacramento (1985 and 1995) and one in North Caldwell, New Jersey (1994). In one of the longest and costliest investigations in FBI history, the bomber was hunted under the code name 'Unabomber'. In September 1995 a long manifesto was published in The Washington Post; acting on a tip from his brother, who recognised the writing style, agents arrested former mathematics professor Ted Kaczynski at his cabin near Lincoln, Montana, on 3 April 1996. He pleaded guilty in 1998, received life imprisonment and died in prison in 2023.
- Date
- 1978
- Place
- California, USA (attacks in several states), Sacramento, US
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 38.5816, -121.4944 ↗
Timeline of Events
- May 1978The first bomb turned up at Northwestern University in Chicago.
- 11 December 1985A Sacramento computer store owner was killed by a bomb.
- 19 September 1995The manifesto was published in The Washington Post.
- 3 April 1996The bomber was arrested at his cabin near Lincoln, Montana.
- May 1998Having pleaded guilty, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Sources
- The New York Times — Unabomber sentenced (May 1998) archive.nytimes.com ↗
- History.com — Unabomber arrested history.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Ted Kaczynski en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The New York Times
- Los Angeles Times
- History.com
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.