Tracking Santa: How a Cold War Mistake Became a Holiday Tradition
NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center 2007. NORAD Public Affairs, Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braym. The NORAD Santa Tracker, a beloved holiday tradition, has its roots in the Cold War era.…
Cary Grant: The Actor Who Spied for Britain
Photo of Cary Grant from the film “North by Northwest” (1959). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Cary Grant, the iconic British-born American actor known for his suave demeanor and classic films, led a life…
The Great Escape: The True Story of WWII’s Most Daring POW Breakout
Stalag Luft III. Imperial War Museum photo. The Great Escape, a 1963 film starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough, is a classic war movie that dramatizes the daring…
Jeanne Vertefeuille: The Spy Catcher
The mole hunt team. Jeanne Ruth Vertefeuille (December 23, 1932 – December 29, 2012) was a distinguished CIA officer known for her pivotal role in uncovering the actions of Aldrich…
Defendu: From the Streets of Shanghai to the Battlefields of WWII
Defendu, also known as the Fairbairn Fighting System or Gutter Fighting, is a contemporary martial art created by William E. Fairbairn and Eric A. Sykes prior to World War II.…
How James Bond Helped Win the Cold War
The Sirkeci Terminal in Istanbul was used as a filming location for the James Bond film “From Russia with Love”. James Bond, the suave British secret agent created by Ian…
“Casablanca”: Winning Hearts and Minds in WWII
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in a romantic scene. Casablanca, released in 1942, is often hailed as one of the greatest films in American cinema. Beyond its romantic plot and…
Spies in the Crossroads: The OSS’s Strategic Role in Istanbul
Aerial view of the historical peninsula and modern skyline of Istanbul During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) played a crucial role in gathering intelligence and conducting…
Bartitsu: The Victorian Gentlemanly Art of Self Defense
Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. Illustration by Sidney Paget for the Sherlock Holmes story “The Final Problem” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which appeared in “The…
Hitchcock’s Masterpiece: How “North by Northwest” Shaped the Spy Genre
Photo of Cary Grant & Eva Marie Saint from the film “North by Northwest” (1959). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1959, is widely regarded…