another had him as a white-collar professional living with his mother. the reality was very, very different. the unabomber was, in fact, a brilliant, middle-aged mathematician who had abandoned a promising academic career to live like a hermit in this cabin in the montana wilderness. his name was ted kaczynski. >> he was extremely smart but socially awkward. in retrospect, we would have to consider a diagnosis, such as asperger syndrome where he had a hard time reading clues of other people's emotions. >> reporter: theodore ted kaczynski was born on may 22nd, 1942, to a working-class family in chicago, illinois. the older of two brothers, he excelled academically. in the 5th grade, tests indicated that his iq was 167, genius level. >> as he was so smart, he skipped two grades, which then