Eleven unsolved murders in London's Whitechapel in 1888 to 1891 became the Jack the Ripper legend

historyWikipedia1888–1891 · Whitechapel, London, England

Eleven unsolved murders in London's Whitechapel in 1888 to 1891 became the Jack the Ripper legend

the gist

Between April 1888 and February 1891, eleven women were murdered in or near the impoverished Whitechapel district of London's East End. Most of the victims were engaged in prostitution, and many had their throats cut, while some bodies were mutilated. Some or all of the killings have been attributed to an unidentified serial killer who came to be called Jack the Ripper, after a name used in a letter sent to the press. Despite extensive police work, private vigilance groups and several arrests, the culprit was never identified. The case drew public attention to the appalling living conditions in the East End, which were later improved. The mystery has never been fully resolved and still fascinates readers today.

so what

The Whitechapel murders are the foundation of one of the most famous unsolved crime stories in history, and they reshaped how the press covered crime. They also exposed the poverty of the East End and helped push social reform there. The case still drives books, films, and forensic debate more than a century later.

fun fact

The name Jack the Ripper came from a letter sent to the Central News Agency in 1888 and signed with that name, though its authorship is disputed.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗