Josephine Baker: Jazz Age Icon & WW2 Spy
Josephine Baker in 1942. Josephine Baker, born as Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906, in St. Her career was primarily centered in Europe, mostly in France. She was the…
Best of/Interesting Coffee Culture Food/Drink History Intelligence/Spies Mavericks Movies & Television
Ian Fleming, James Bond, and Coffee: An Intriguing Connection
Sean Connery as James Bond 007 and Tania Mallet as Tilly Masterson in “Goldfinger” while filming at Furka Pass and Andermatt in the Swiss Alps, Credit: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv /…
Operation Gunnerside: Covert Mission to Deprive the Nazis of the Atomic Bomb
Vemork Hydroelectric Plant as it looks today. A Special Operations Executive (SOE) Team in 1941 (Operation Gunnerside) blew up heavy water production equipment in order to sabotage the German efforts…
How World War II Boosted American Beer Brewing
Introduction: World War II, often remembered for the heroic sacrifices and struggles on the battlefield, had a lesser-known but significant impact on the American beer brewing industry. At a time…
Espionage in Ancient Civilizations
Alexander Mosaic (detail),House of the Faun, Pompeii. Credit: The Guardian (DEA/G Nimatallah/De Agostini/Getty Images) The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy;…
Operation Tracer: Secret Stay Behind Cave of World War II
An aerial photo of Gibraltar after take-off from the Rock, looking north-west towards San Roque. Photo: Steve – Flickr: Gibraltar / CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED. Operation Tracer was a secret…
Operation Greenup: A Pivotal Mission in World War II
OSS Operation Greenup team. From left to right: Franz Weber, Hans Wijnberg, and Frederick Mayer. Photo: National Archives. Operation Greenup was a covert mission by the Office of Strategic Services…
The Thing: A Masterpiece of Cold War Espionage
Exterior of Spaso House, residence of U.S. Ambassador in Moscow. Photo: U.S. Embassy Moscow photographer Valeriy Yevseyev. U.S Embassy Moscow. “The Thing”, also known as the Great Seal bug, is…
Operation Jedburgh: The Secret Mission that Helped Change the Course of WW2
Jedburghs in front of a B-24 prior to departure at Area T, Harrington Airdrome, England. Photo: U.S. Office of Strategic Services. Operation Jedburgh was a clandestine operation during World War…
Brigade 2506: CIA-Sponsored Cuban Exile Brigade
The SU-100 from which Fidel Castro reportedly shelled the freighter Houston during morning of 17 April 1961, Photo: Whoisjohngalt / CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED. “Victory has a thousand fathers; defeat…