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Lipnice nad Sázavou, Czechia

Národní památník odposlechu (National Interception Memorial)

This trio of reliefs—an ear, a mouth, and a pair of eyes—carved into the walls of flooded quarries is a monument to spying.
Wading River, New York

Benson House

This house was used by the FBI to broadcast disinformation to the Nazis during World War II.
Alresford Spy Toilet
Alresford, England

Alresford Spy Toilet

These public toilets were used as a dead drop by pro-Soviet spies to trade British military secrets during the Cold War.
Cartographer Antonio Zatta included Lake de Fonte on this 1776 map. It never existed.
pirates

7 Maps That Can Change How You See the World 

Plus: Our definitive guide to the world’s extraordinary sights.
April White September 22, 2023
libraries

Podcast: Spaces for Spies

Where real-world American espionage comes to life.
The Podcast Team July 25, 2023
I spy
List

11 Places to Explore Spycraft

Go deep undercover at these locations dedicated to the covert trade.
Jonathan Carey January 27, 2023
Cher Ami, a black checker pigeon, earned his fame carrying messages for the American military during World War I. The pigeons recruited by the CIA during the Cold War were trained to undertake more clandestine tasks.
cold war

When the CIA Spied on American Citizens—Using Pigeons

The seemingly birdbrained Cold War experiment is still partially classified.
Steven Ewin January 11, 2023
The President's Daily Brief is protected in a leather tablet cover. Only the president, vice president, and a select group of senior officials with high-level security clearances receive the daily briefing of national security issues.
museums

Get a Peek Inside the New CIA Museum

The clandestine government organization is digitizing its collection.
Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing November 4, 2022
London, England

Huntsman & Sons

The real clothing store that inspired a fictional spy organization's front.
During World War II, members of the secretive Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit trained and tested cutting-edge equipment on a quiet California island.
islands

Remembering the World War II Frogmen Who Trained in Secret off the California Coast

Recruits learned the arts of infiltration, sabotage, and survival at a hidden base on Santa Catalina Island.
Andrew Dubbins June 30, 2022
Many women joined the French resistance, making up 15 to 20% of the army that secretly battled the Nazis from within. Some of those women would go on to become English spies with the SOE.
nazis

The Female Spies Who Helped Win World War II

The women of England’s SOE fought on the beaches of Normandy, sabotaged the Nazis within France, and turned the tides of the war.
Sarah Durn April 5, 2022
Petra Herrera led troops into battle in the Mexican Revolution and later went undercover as a bartender to spy on the opposition.
spies

The Mexican Revolutionary Who Fought for Freedom on the Battlefield and in the Barroom

Before she became a spy, Petra Herrera went undercover as a man.
April White March 11, 2022
Zheng Pingru was about 19 years old when she was recruited to spy on the Japanese forces that occupied Shanghai at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
statues

A Socialite’s Plot to Assassinate a Corrupt Official in Occupied Shanghai

Zheng Pingru’s scheme involved a fabulous fur coat and ended in tragedy.
April White March 10, 2022
Marguerite Harrison was raised at the turn of the century to be a Baltimore socialite. Instead, she traveled the world as a reporter, filmmaker, explorer, and spy.
prisons

The Society Editor Who Just Walked Into Soviet Russia and Started Spying

Marguerite Harrison was the United States’ first female foreign intelligence officer.
April White March 9, 2022
Pauline Cushman masqueraded as a Southern woman in search of her lost brother to gain access to a Confederate camp in Tennessee.
spies

A Struggling Actress’s Greatest Role Was as a Real Civil War Spy

Pauline Cushman’s contributions to U.S. war efforts earned her the honorary title of “Major.”
April White March 8, 2022
Josefine Guerrero carried a map of the minefields in the north of occupied Manila to approaching U.S. troops.
spies

The Invisible, Afflicted Spy Who Led the U.S. Army Into Occupied Manila

As a woman with leprosy, Josefina Guerrero was ignored by Japanese forces as she carried messages of resistance in World War II.
April White March 7, 2022
politics

The Forgotten Female Revolutionaries Behind Latin American Independence

Perhaps fiercest of all was Manuela Sáenz—spy, archivist, prankster, and companion of Simón Bolívar.
Sarah Durn March 1, 2022
William "Dangerous Dan" Fairbairn's "pistol house" was a new type of training for Americans preparing for a new kind of war.
islands

A Year in Wacky History, from Renaissance “Hell Banquets” to Georgia’s Muddy Spring Rites

Our favorite history stories inspire your sense of wonder.
Sarah Durn December 30, 2021