It all happened so fast.
One minute, you're fighting for your life.
And then, it gets really strange.
Your attacker is gone,
but you've mysteriously flown back in time
to the year 1888, in London.
But, you don't care.
You're safe.
Or are you?
Jack the Ripper was a serial killer.
He was active between August and
November of 1888 around the Whitechapel
district of East London in the UK.
Five murders were attributed to
Jack the Ripper during his reign of terror.
So, if you are lost in a dark alley on the
streets of East London, and you want to
survive, follow these steps.
You probably won't have much to defend
yourself with, and he has a knife.
So be strategic about how you move.
Try to dodge him if he comes at you.
The more distance there is between
you two, the better.
Jack the Ripper was infamous for
murdering his victims and using precise
cuts to remove certain organs.
This means he had to have had a
substantial knowledge of human anatomy
and be skilled with a knife or blade.
Do whatever you can to defend yourself.
And let's face it, if you're hanging around
Whitechapel during this time,
you're probably a peasant.
And you probably don't have a lot of meat
on your bones or much strength.
So, if you have to, try biting him.
Jack only targeted his victims at night,
so try and duck into a dark alley.
By the 1890s, there were about 300,000
horses and 1,000 tons of horse dung a day
on the streets of London.
Use anything you can to
defend yourself, including horse dung.
Maybe you could fling some in his face.
But whatever you do, aim for his eyes.
Our eyes are sensitive, and one effective
strike can save you from having
to outrun or fight this killer.
Whitechapel had a lot
of crime and overcrowding.
Around 15,000 of Whitechapel's residents
were homeless and unemployed.
And one way to escape your problems was
by pounding back pints of beer
at the local pub.
The pubs were very popular at night,
especially among lower-wage workers,
and to was common to see
sex workers on the street.
So, there is a good chance you could be
drunk during this attack.
Try to stay focused and do not pass out.
If you're drunk, out of shape, or otherwise
unable to move fast, it might not be the
best idea to run.
But, you may have no choice.
Protect your center neck and sensitive
organs with your arms.
Don't fixate on the blade.
Instead, watch Jack's arm to see
when he might strike.
You might get some cuts and bruises,
but don't throw away your chance of
surviving because of one slash.
You might be able to survive or escape.
Kathy Kleiner survived two hits to the
head when serial killer Ted Bundy
attacked her while sleeping.
Let's face it.
If you're face-to-face with
Jack the Ripper, you'll probably die.
But your odds of living would be much
better if you are not a
sex worker in East London.
Jack the Ripper suddenly stopped killing
in the fall of 1888, and his true identity
remains a mystery today.
However, there have been some crazy
accusations over the years, including
Queen Victoria's grandson
and Winston Churchill's dad.
In 2019, a book claimed to have confirmed
that Jack the Ripper was a 23-year-old
Polish immigrant named Aaron Kosminski.
This claim came from a study that traced
DNA evidence using a scarf a policeman
took from one of the crime scenes.
He kept the scarf, and passed it down
through his family.
In 2011, a forensic geneticist examined
the scarf and found mitochondrial DNA
matching Kominski's recent descendants.
However, some people still do not buy that
this mystery is solved.
Some say the study in the book is not
credible enough to be trusted.
Others say the scarf may have been
contaminated after being passed down
for all these years.
So, the mystery lives on.
If you meet a stranger in person through
dating apps or craigslist, learn from
Jack the Ripper's victims.
Be on guard and know what to do in
potentially dangerous situations.
If you were kidnapped,
how would you survive that?
Don't worry.
We've got just the video for that.
To be prepared and stay alive,
keep watching How to Survive.