Jack the Ripper

2010-11-08T16:22:51Z

ChristinaH.: Created page with 'Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym that was given to a serial murderer of at least five female prostitutes. The name “Jack the Ripper” originates from a letter which was sent t…'

Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym that was given to a serial murderer of at least five female prostitutes. The name “Jack the Ripper” originates from a letter which was sent to the police by a person who claimed to be the murderer himself. He was also called the ''Whitechapel murderer'' and ''Leather Apron''. Jack the Ripper was not the first serial killer, but he was probably the first to appear in a large metropolis at a time when a great part of the population had become literate and the press was a force for social change.

== The murders ==

The serial murders are some of the most famous unsolved mysteries of English crime. They were committed in or near the Whitechapel district in the East End of London between August 7 and November 10 in 1888. Among the victims were at least five female prostitutes, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. Additionally, there are further murders which cannot conclusively be proven to have been committed by Jack the Ripper. It is reported that in all cases the victims’ throats were cut and the women’s bodies were professionally mutilated, so that the police had the assumption that Jack the Ripper might have had knowledge of human anatomy or even a medical background.

== Police investigation ==

During the investigation, the police received letters, a postcard and a package with one half of a human kidney by someone calling himself Jack the Ripper. The police officers were under pressure as the case was hyped and explicitly reported in the local newspapers. As a result, people started to criticise them for being incapable of arresting the murderer. A great public uproar over the police’s failure was raised against the home secretary and the London police commissioner, who resigned soon afterwards. All in all, there have been more than 30 suspects, but the murders could not be proven against any of them. Although a lot of efforts were made to trace Jack the Ripper, the case has remained unsolved until today.

== Sources ==

Gribbin, John. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Jack the Ripper. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010.

http://www.casebook.org

http://www.jack-the-ripper.org

Ludo

2010-11-08T16:12:51Z

ChristinaH.: Created page with 'Ludo (Latin for ''I play'') is a cross and circle board game which derives from the old Indian national game Pachisi. == History == Pachisi was invented in India where it wa…'

Ludo (Latin for ''I play'') is a cross and circle board game which derives from the old Indian national game Pachisi.

== History ==

Pachisi was invented in India where it was accepted as one of the national games. The name derives from the Hindu word ''pachis'', meaning twenty-five, which was the largest score one could achieve, because originally, Pachisi was not played with dice but with cowrie shells. Even Pachisi originates in an earlier version called Chaupar which was played centuries ago. One of the most famous people to play the game was the Mughal Emperor Akbal I (1542-1605). A construction of an outdoor board can still be seen at his court at Fatehpur Sikri. One of the differences in rules was that he used 16 women from his harem dressed in team-coloured saris as counters. During the British Raj, Pachisi was imported into Britain and its rules and board were simplified and adapted. Around 1863, the first Ludo games were produced in Britain and it turned out to be one of the most successful board games until today. Furthermore, Ludo was re-imported into India, where it is nowadays even more commonly played than the original Pachisi game.

== Sources ==

Gribbin, John: Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Pachisi. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010.
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/boardgames/pachisi/home.html

http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Pachisi.htm

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Jack the Ripper

Ludo