Ted Kaczynski

He was born in Chicago on May 22. His parents were Wanda Theresa and Theodore Richard Kaczynski. They were Polish Americans who were raised Roman Catholic, but became atheists later on in life.

Early in life during elementary school he did well both academy and socially. Administrators at his school (Sherman Elementary School) described him as healthy and well adjusted. In 1952 his family and him moved to Illinois. Ted transferred to Evergreen Park Central Junior High School. He skipped to 6th grade after getting a high IQ score. Later on in life Ted described this as a pivotal moment for him, he used to do well socially among his peers and could have even been described as a leader, but after skipping a grade he didnt get along with the older kids, who bullied him. His high school was Evergreen Park Community High School where he did very well academically. He played trombone and was a part of many clubs. During high school he became very interested in mathematics. He spent hours studying, and solving advanced problems. He became a part of a group of boys who shared his interest in mathematics. They were known as The Briefcase Boys because they were known for carrying around briefcases. He skipped 11th grade and by attending summer school he graduated at 15 years old.

Kaczynski was accepted into Harvard with a scholarship at 16 years old. It is believed that while Kaczynski was attending Harvard he was subjected to psychological experiments without his knowledge. The experiment was conducted by psychologist Henry A. Murray and was backed by the CIA. The experiment involved mock interrogations where the participants beliefs were harshly criticized. This experiment is believed to be apart of MKUltra which focused on mind control techniques. The experiment(s) is not directly related to his crimes, but is believed to have made his schizophrenia symptoms worse.