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by Charles River (Author)
*Includes pictures *Includes the Unabomber's own quotes and contemporary accounts of his crimes *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "But what first motivated me wasn't anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods and so forth..." - Ted Kaczynski Most Americans old enough to follow the news during the 1990s are instantly familiar with the Unabomber, a name given to the man behind a series of bombs that were periodically mailed or delivered to university professors and airlines, which led to the FBI giving the investigation the codename "UNABOM," an acronym for "University and Airline Bomber." Over nearly 20 years, the Unabomber, as he was dubbed by the media, would kill 3 and wound dozens with his homemade bombs, some of which were primitive but others of which were strong enough to destroy an airplane. While authorities struggled to find him from the first time he targeted someone with a bomb in 1978, the Unabomber 's choice of targets and the materials he used offered a glimpse into the kind of man he was. Profilers rightly assumed that it was a man who had received a higher education and had some sort of interest in the environment and big business. What they could not know at the time was that it was all the work of one man, Ted Kaczynski, who was the product of a Harvard education and had briefly taught at UCLA before retiring to a cabin in Montana without electricity or running water. Ultimately, it was Kaczynski who tripped himself up thanks to his insistence that a major media outlet publish his lengthy essay Industrial Society and Its Future. Now known almost universally as the Unabomber Manifesto, it was a long screed against the effects of industry and technology on nature, and the way technology has impacted the psychology and personalities of people in society. Often incorporating "FC" in his bombs and writings as shorthand for Freedom Club, Kaczynski also asserted that the dependence on technology limited people's freedom and sapped them of their desire for personal autonomy. Eventually, federal authorities rightly figured that publication of the Manifesto might actually lead to someone recognizing the author, and it was Ted's younger brother, David, who led investigators to Ted. While thousands of people sent misleading clues in the wake of the Manifesto being published, David worked discreetly to try to collect evidence that might suggest Ted's guilt before tipping off the FBI. A search warrant that allowed a raid on Ted's cabin in Montana on April 3, 1996 made clear that the Feds had found their man, and after Kaczynski refused to plead insane, he was eventually given a life sentence without the possibility of parole after a guilty plea. The Unabomber: The Life and Crimes of Ted Kaczynski, the Domestic Terrorist Responsible for the FBI's Most Expensive Manhunt chronicles the story of one of the most famous domestic terrorists of the 20th century. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Unabomber like never before.
