# Theodore 'Ted' Kaczynski, known as the 'Unabomber,' has died in federal prison **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294 "2023-06-10T17:26:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/1 "2023-06-10T17:26:20Z")
> **[Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber for years of attacks that killed 3,...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-unabomber-165836331.html)** > > Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died Saturday. Branded the “Unabomber” by the... > Branded [the “Unabomber” by the FBI](https://apnews.com/article/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-transferred-prison-medical-facility-ebc05e8f2f284001c950a3943366f8f4), Kaczynski died at the federal prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina, Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons, told The Associated Press. He was found unresponsive in his cell early Saturday morning and was pronounced dead around 8 a.m., she said. A cause of death was not immediately known. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/2 "2023-06-10T17:32:40Z")
I was taught to speak only good of the dead. He’s dead. Good. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/3 "2023-06-10T17:34:47Z")
Something I like to post when arguing with RWNJs: > [@](#): > > Do you know how they caught the Unabomber? His brother turned him in. > > His brother. > > If his brother had put family over principle the way Trump supporters continue to blindly put party before country, I wonder how many more people the Unabomber would have killed. I have to imagine that “Ted” was a pretty interesting person before his cheese done slid off his cracker. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/4 "2023-06-10T17:44:48Z")
I was so happy when they caught the Unabomber because I was starting to think it might be me. Since I’m still alive this is even further proof it wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/5 "2023-06-10T17:52:39Z")
As a young man, he was tormented in experiments done at Harvard, where they probed his deepest insecurities. > **[Harvard's Experiment on the Unabomber, Class of '62](https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/impromptu-man/201205/harvards-experiment-the-unabomber-class-62?amp)** > > An odd footnote to Kaczynski's class reunion. He may have been transgendered. > **[GENDER CONFUSION, SEX CHANGE IDEA FUELED KACZYNSKI'S RAGE, REPORT SAYS](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/09/12/gender-confusion-sex-change-idea-fueled-kaczynskis-rage-report-says/eb33b946-8595-427d-af4c-9ccaada45935/)** Yet another reason not to force people into the closet. Goodbye to a troubled life. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/6 "2023-06-10T17:54:33Z")
Yeah, i think his troubles were not all of his own making. I hope he is now at peace. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/7 "2023-06-10T18:00:52Z")
If any thread is destined to blow up… ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/8 "2023-06-10T18:05:17Z")
So there’s a vacancy? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/9 "2023-06-10T18:06:14Z")
I learned of this from my wife, who learned from a twitter bot that retweets news in cutesy language. Maybe this is what he was going on about in his manifesto. Let’s see if I can figure out how to put that here: > OwO "Unabombew" Ted Kaczynski, who evaded captuwe fow 20 yeaws aftew a mass bombing campaign, found dead in US pwison ceww, officiaws say ;-;[https://t.co/7DdPgBCDLT](https://t.co/7DdPgBCDLT) > > — Bweaking NuwuS (@BBCBweaking) [June 10, 2023](https://twitter.com/BBCBweaking/status/1667581785264226304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/10 "2023-06-10T18:08:31Z")
Maybe he just couldn’t go on in a world without Pat Robertson. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/11 "2023-06-10T18:11:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Maybe he just couldn’t go on in a world without Pat Robertson. - Maybe they’ll be roommates. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/12 "2023-06-10T18:44:22Z")
I don’t think Kaczynski was transgendered. He had an idea that his life would be better as a woman, and the doctors he consulted all agreed that he was male, through and through. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I do believe that he’s RIP, because he certainly had no peace in his life. Many of his victims and their families were angry and bitter until they found out what kind of person actually did this. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/13 "2023-06-10T18:46:13Z")
If I was so inclined tp believe such things, between him and Robert Hansen I’d say someone upstairs (either metaphysical or organizational) is making sure there is enough room in the SuperMax for Trump 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/14 "2023-06-10T18:53:36Z")
Yet another thread where I thought the person references was dead. First Pat Robertson, now this. I really got to keep up with the news. I don’t know about the “he’s dead, good” thoughts. On the one hand, that is the most merciful ending for a soul like this. On the other hand, I wish the guiltily would live longer lives in prison and suffer. But I’m a bit of an asshole for that, I admit. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/15 "2023-06-10T19:59:49Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > As a young man, he was tormented in experiments done at Harvard, where they probed his deepest insecurities. > > He may have been transgendered. > > Yet another reason not to force people into the closet. > > Goodbye to a troubled life. I hadn’t known about this. But I do recall reading the Kaczynski’s parents placed insanely strict rules on him in order to maximize his academic potential. His interaction with other kids was extremely limited. That seems likely to cause mental health problems in a kid. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/16 "2023-06-10T20:04:51Z")
Some wackos are self-made men. Most take some help from family and their local society to really fan the flames of latent crazy into a damaging inferno. Like making saints, it (usually) takes a village. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/17 "2023-06-10T20:45:52Z")
I think Kaczynski was mentally ill, but not legally insane. He probably resisted any mental health aid offered to him. Now that he’s served his sentence I hope his tortured soul now finds peace, or at least an end to the torture. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/18 "2023-06-10T21:15:58Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > As a young man, he was tormented in experiments done at Harvard, where they probed his deepest insecurities. He was apparently a participant in the CIA’s MkUltra program. Lots of acid casualties from that. It would be a stretch to try and draw a straight line from L.S.D. to bombing universities, but it probably didn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/19 "2023-06-10T21:28:28Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > As a young man, he was tormented in experiments done at Harvard, where they probed his deepest insecurities. I knew a guy who was probed at Harvard, he thought it was a fraternity initiation. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294/20 "2023-06-10T21:31:49Z")
The most fascinating thing about the Unabomber case is the ethical dilemma his brother David artfully navigated to end the killing and still save Ted from a death sentence. > **[David Kaczynski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kaczynski)** > > David Richard Kaczynski (born October 3, 1949) is the younger brother of Ted Kaczynski, the serial bomber dubbed the "Unabomber" by the FBI before his arrest in 1996. His memoir, Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family, details his relationship with his brother and parents and the decision that David and his wife made to share their suspicion that Ted was the Unabomber with law enforcement, which led to his arrest. David's ultimate decision to implicate his brother for Kaczynsk... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theodore-ted-kaczynski-known-as-the-unabomber-has-died-in-federal-prison/985294.md?page=2)