Ted Kaczynski biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Infamous criminal Ted Kaczynski was born on May 22, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Chicago, the oldest child of a Polish American couple, Wanda and Theodore. As a baby, Kaczynski had an allergic reaction to some medication and spent time in isolation, recovering. Some reports indicate that he had a noticeable change in his personality after being hospitalized. The arrival of his younger brother David also allegedly had a strong effect on him as well.

Both of Kaczynski's parents pushed him hard to achieve academic success. A bright child, Kaczynski skipped two grades during his early education. He was smaller than the other kids and regarded as "different" because of his intelligence. Still Kaczynski was active in school groups, including the German language and chess clubs. In 1958, Kaczynski entered Harvard University at the age of 16 on a scholarship. There, he studied mathematics and participated in a psychological experiment conducted by professor Henry A. Murray.

College Education

After graduating Harvard in 1962, Kaczynski continued his studies at the University of Michigan. While there, he taught classes and worked on his dissertation, which was widely praised. Kaczynski earned his doctoral degree from the university in 1967, then moved west to teach at the University of California Berkeley.

Kaczynski struggled at Berkeley, having a hard time delivering his lectures and often avoiding contact with his students. He resigned his assistant professorship in 1969. By the early 1970s, Kaczynski had given up his old life, and settled in Montana. He built himself a small cabin near Lincoln, where he lived in near total isolation. He hunted rabbits, grew vegetables, and spent a lot of time reading. Over the years, he developed his own anti-government and anti-technology philosophy.

"The Unabomber"

In 1978, Kaczynski moved back to Chicago to work in the same factory as his brother. He had a relationship with a female supervisor that turned sour. In retaliation, Kaczynski wrote crude limericks about her, which got him fired. His brother David, a supervisor himself, was the one that actually had to break the news to Ted.

That same year, Kaczynski made his first homemade bomb, which he sent to a Northwestern University professor. The letter was opened by a campus security officer, who sustained minor injuries when the bomb exploded. Another bomb was sent to the same university the following year, but by this time Kaczynski had returned to Montana.

Kaczynski then targeted American Airlines with two bombs—one in 1979 and one in 1980—addressed to the company's president.