Portrait of Israel Keyes

Birthday profile

Israel Keyes

Israel Keyes, American serial killer (died 2012)

Born
January 7, 1978
Died
December 2, 2012
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1978

About Israel Keyes

Israel Keyes (January 7, 1978 – December 1, 2012) was an American serial killer, rapist, bank robber, burglar, arsonist, and kidnapper. Keyes is known to have murdered three people. Law enforcement investigators believe he committed a number of other violent crimes across the United States between the late 1990s and early 2012. Keyes was arrested in March 2012 in connection with the killing of a woman in Alaska, and died by suicide while awaiting trial. Evidence in his jail cell led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to believe he may have killed eleven people. In his adolescence, Keyes's parents discovered a cache of guns he had stolen from a neighbor and forced him to return the guns and apologize. By his teenage years, Keyes had become a skilled carpenter, building his first wooden cabin at age 16. Keyes was awarded an Army Achievement Medal for his service as a gunner and assistant gunner from December 1998 until July 8, 2001. Keyes then became interested in Satanism, and planned to commit a ritualistic murder.

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

The world when Israel Keyes was born

Israel Keyes was born in 1978. 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 1978

  • #1 song"Shadow Dancing" – Andy Gibb
  • Top movieThe Deer Hunter
  • Top TV showLaverne & Shirley
  • Best-selling bookThe World According to Garp – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMuhammad Ali wins heavyweight title for the third time
  • Top headlineCamp David Accords — Egypt and Israel sign peace agreement
  • Technology milestoneFirst spam email sent
  • Defining fadDisco and Saturday Night Fever
  • Notable inventionGarfield comic strip debuts
  • World population4.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonWashington Bullets (NBA)
  • U.S. population222.6M

1978 versus 2026

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

Measure19782026
Gas$0.63$3.45/gal
Average home$55,700$435,000
Average income$17,730$67,500
Minimum wage$2.65$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.34$11.95
Postage stamp$0.15$0.73
Population222.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. 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.