Portrait of Albert DeSalvo

Birthday profile

Albert DeSalvo

Albert DeSalvo, American serial killer known as the Boston Strangler (died 1973)

Born
September 3, 1931
Age in 2026
95
Zodiac sign
Virgo
Birth year
1931

About Albert DeSalvo

Albert Henry DeSalvo (September 3, 1931 – November 25, 1973), also known as the Green Man or the Measuring Man, was an American murderer and rapist who was active in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1960s. He is known for having confessed to being the "Boston Strangler," a serial killer who murdered thirteen women in the Boston area between 1962 and 1964. DeSalvo's murder confessions were deemed credible, yet due to limited evidence in those cases he was not charged. He was prosecuted in 1967 for a series of unrelated rapes. He was found guilty, convicted and imprisoned for life. He died in prison after being stabbed in 1973. DeSalvo's claims to have murdered multiple women were disputed, and debates continued regarding which crimes he truly committed. By the early 21st century, techniques for DNA capture and analysis could allow for the re-investigation of some DeSalvo-Strangler cases. In July 2013, an analysis of semen found around the body of Mary Sullivan, the last of the Strangler's victims, was compared to DNA obtained from DeSalvo's nephew. Results showed a familial match and investigators believed this finding linked DeSalvo to the killing of Sullivan. The DNA match excluded 99.9% of the remaining population. Later that month, authorities exhumed DeSalvo's body and found that his DNA was a match. For his 1967 trial, DeSalvo was evaluated by Harry Kozol, a neurologist who had established the first sex offender treatment center in Massachusetts. Due to physical evidence, DeSalvo's confession was believed, yet he was only prosecuted in 1967 for a series of unrelated rapes, for which he was convicted and imprisoned until his murder in 1973. DeSalvo's claims to have murdered multiple women were disputed, and debates continued regarding which crimes he truly had committed.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Albert DeSalvo timeline

  1. For his 1967 trial, DeSalvo was evaluated by Harry Kozol, a neurologist who had established the first sex offender treatment center in Massachusetts.
  2. Due to physical evidence, DeSalvo's confession was believed, yet he was only prosecuted in 1967 for a series of unrelated rapes, for which he was convicted and imprisoned until his murder in 1973.

The world when Albert DeSalvo was born

Albert DeSalvo was born in 1931. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1931

  • #1 song"Stardust" – Artie Shaw
  • Top movieFrankenstein
  • Best-selling bookThe Good Earth – Pearl S. Buck

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentKnute Rockne dies in plane crash
  • Top headlineAl Capone convicted of tax evasion
  • Technology milestoneEmpire State Building completed
  • Defining fadJigsaw puzzles
  • Notable inventionElectric razor
  • World population2.10 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHerbert Hoover
  • Sports championSt. Louis Cardinals (World Series)
  • U.S. population124.0M

1931 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Albert DeSalvo's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19312026
Gas$0.17$3.45/gal
Average home$5,500$435,000
Average income$3,000$67,500
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.02$0.73
Population124.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.