Peter William Sutcliffe was a British serial killer, who was known as the Yorkshire Ripper, he murdered at least 13 women and assulted 7 others between 1975 and 1980. Although his earliest attack was in 1969, the victim survived and didn’t press charges. The terror of Sutcliffe’s attacks spread through Northern England as they continue, spurring a year-long manhunt that involved an estimate 2.5 million police hours.
Early life
Peter Sutcliffe was born on 2nd june 1946, in Bingley. His parents were John and Kathleen Sutcliffe, he grew up with five younger siblings, two brothers and three sisters, he grew up in a working-class Catholic family. He left school in 1961, when he was 15, afterwards took on several different jobs, including at a factory and a mill. He then became a grave digger in 1964, which led to a part-time job at a local morgue. He bragged to his friends about robbing bodies at the morgue. In 1976, Sutcliffe found a job as a truck driver. He became a trusted employee and remained in the position during his killing spree.
Victims
Beginning in the late 1960s, Peter Sutcliffe was responsible for targeting at least 21 victims, 13 of which Sutcliffe murdered. Eight people survived his brutial attacks with lasting tramua and servere injuries. He specifically picked out women, usually sex workers, in Yorkshire and Manchester. Sutcliffe often battered his victims with a hammer, as well as stabbed and mutliated them with a knife or sharpened screwdriver.
Sutcliffe committed his first known attack in 1969. He used a sock with a stone in it to strike a woman. She survived but declined to press charges. several years passed before he attacked again.
Sutcliffe himself said at his trial,”it was just a miricle they did not apprehend me earlier-they had all the facts.”Investigators missed other opportunities to stop the serial killer. Police interviewed Sutcliffe nine times prior to his arrest. In one encounter, no one spotted that he was wearing a pair of boots that matched a print left at the scene of one of his crimes.
In 1979, Police fell for a hoax tape and letters purportedly from the Yorkshire Ripper, a mistake that had deadly consequences. Sutcliffe had a Yorkshire accent, but the accent on the hoax recording led authorities to search for suspects outside of Yorkshire.
Sutcliffe died at age 74 on November 13th in 2020. He was at the University Hospital of Durham in England. At the end of October he was in hospital being treated for a suspected heart attack and following his hospital stay he reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 but refused treatment. He later then died in hospital.
ERA
In the years that followed WW2, there was a general economic boom around the world. England enjoyed the boom as well, but that began to change in the 1970s. After experiencing a huge increase in British manufacturing, things began to take a turn for the worst in 1973.
The UK went through a major oil crisis after conflicts during the Yom Kippur war, which then resulted in the major oil company opec putting a halt on exporting oil to the west. As of this crisis, workers began to be fired, and unemployment was on a increase. This therefore then resulted in strikes and high inflation. Many people were out of work and prices of almost everything were on the rise. This was not a great time to be living in the UK. In London they had implemented a 3 day work week to save on fuel.
Feminism was in the spotlight for most of the decade. In the 1970s the equal pay act was passed but wasn’t put in place until 1975.
HAIR
In the 1970s there was many iconic hairstyles.
- The shag- Jane Fonda’s hairstyle in the 1971 film kulte inspired the nation to follow the style. The short to mid-length style was characterized by evenly progressed layers from the shortest at the top of the head to the longest at the bottom for an overall “shaggy” effect. This look was worn by both men and women alike in varying lengths and interpretations.
- The feathered look-This iconic look was made famous by actress Farrah Fawcett, who stepped out in the soft, feathery hairstyles on the set of Charlies Angels. Arguably the most popular looks of the decade, the style involved mid-length to long hair, brushed back and outward at the sides, giving the appearance of the feathers of a bird.
- straight and sleek-Born from the hippie movement, long, straight hair became highly fashionable during the 70s. The look was all about appearing natural-little to no products was used to create this look apart from women with curly hair were prone to ironing their hair straight to do this look.
MAKEUP
70s makeup was diverse, with some trends being natural and others being glamorous. some key points were:
- shimmer shadows on the eyelids with mascara on the top and bottom lashes
- natural eyebrows, brushed and tamed with clear mascara
- light liquid formulas and opalescent or pearl powders for a healthy glow.
- bold bottom lashes, natural skin and lots of eyeliner.
- purple, blue and green eyeshadow.
- insanely popular eyeliner.
- glitter ball of decadent disco and avant-grande punk trends
- nostalgia trend, where looks from the 20s were replicated
FASHION
The fashion in the 70s was all about individuality. In the early 70s vogue proclaimed “there are no rules in the fashion game now” due to an overproduction flooding the market with cheap synthetic clothing. Cotton items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, vintage clothing from the 50s and earlier, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter and satin.
In 1971 hotpants and bell-bottomed trousers were popular fashion trends.
The 70s began with a continuation of the hippie look from the 60s, giving a distinct ethnic flavor. popular early 70s fashion included tie dye shirts, Mexican peasant blouses, folk embroider Hungarian blouses, ponchos, capes, and military surplus clothing. Bottom attire for women during this time included bell-bottoms, gauchos, frayed jeans, midi skirts, and ankle-length maxi dresses. Although the hippie look was popular, many women still continued to dress up with more glamorous clothes, inspired by the 40s.
WEBSITES USED
Discovery walk, beauty launch pad, biography.