When we think about spies, we tend to think of men like Bond, James Bond. But women have a long history in espionage, taking on jobs as covert agents, couriers and code breakers. We've got a quiz on some sneaky ladies who sniffed out secrets for their countries.
What country convicted Mata Hari of spying?
France
Germany
England
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The French put this exotic dancer on trail for spying for Germany. Though the evidence was scant, Mata Hari was executed by France in 1917.
How did a woman known as Mammy Kate conduct a secret rescue mission of her master during the Revolutionary War?
She hid her master in a laundry basket and carried him out with the jail's laundry.
She hid her master in an empty food cart that she'd brought to the jail loaded with pies for the guards.
She hid an extra pair of clothes on her body, dressed her master in them, and brought the man out dressed as a woman.
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Mammy Kate organized a mission to free Stephen Heard, who would go on to become a governor of Georgia, when he was captured by the British. She secured a job at his jail as a laundress, and one day, she put Heard in the basket and walked out of the jail -- balancing the basket on her head!
Anna Strong was a Revolutionary War spy who used an ordinary household chore to communicate with fellow operatives. How did she signal her fellow revolutionaries?
She inserted notes into freshly-baked bread.
She sent messages by hanging her laundry in a certain way.
She sewed coded communications into the hems of clothing and then lent them to certain spies.
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If you saw a black petticoat on Anna Strong's clothesline, it meant that she was signaling her fellow spies that their contact was in town and they should report to him.
World War II spy Virginia Hall had an artificial leg, but she still managed to undertake physically arduous tasks and evade authorities, even when the Gestapo put up posters seeking "the lady with the limp."
What did Virginia Hall nickname her artificial leg?
Heathcliff
Cuthbert
Asher
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Virginia Hall's artificial leg went by Cuthbert; when she was fleeing on foot from Nazis, Hall messaged her superiors that she was having trouble with her leg. The response? "If Cuthbert is giving you difficulty, have him eliminated."
What female spy, better known for her cooking prowess, created a shark repellent during World War II?
Julia Child
Betty Crocker
Sara Lee
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Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services (a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency) in World War II. She helped solve the problem of sharks butting their heads against ships and explosives.
What entertainer helped the French resistance during World War II by writing secret information in invisible ink on her sheet music?
Gypsy Rose Lee
Josephine Baker
Carmen Miranda
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Because of her celebrity, Josephine Baker was barely searched at checkpoints while she traveled Europe. And even when she was checked, it would have been hard for investigators to find that invisible ink!
Which former slave secured a position in Jefferson Davis's home so that she could spy for the North during the Civil War?
Harriet Tubman
Mary Elizabeth Bowser
Antonia Willard
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Bowser pretended to be illiterate and slow, but in reality she was reading documents that President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis left lying around and reporting the information to the Union.
Which actress volunteered with the OSS during World War II by recording songs that were sent to German soldiers in an attempt to lower their morale and desire to fight?
Marlene Dietrich
Vivien Leigh
Greta Garbo
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Marlene Dietrich, who was born in Germany but became an American citizen in 1939, offered up her artistic skills for psychological warfare against the Germans.
World War II spy Barbara Lauwers conducted psychological warfare on German troops by creating something known as the "League of Lonely War Women." How did Lauwers use the league to infuriate German troops?
She created fake letters that were sent to soldiers that hinted that the women had gotten tired of waiting for their men and had become lesbians.
She created fake letters that were sent to soldiers that made it seem like their wives would sleep with any German soldier who asked.
She created fake photographs that were sent to soldiers that made it appear that German women were courting American soldiers.
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Lauwers created fake letters that made it seem like German women would sleep with any German soldier who flashed the League of Lonely War Women's logo. The plan was designed to lower the German morale by making them suspect the worst of their wives, sisters and mothers. The plot was so successful that several newspapers reported on the league as if it was fact.
Barbara Lauwers was also involved in a prominent campaign that recruited German prisoners to renounce their Nazi ties and spread propaganda against Hitler around Italy. What was this campaign called?
Operation Sauerkraut
Operation Currywurst
Operation Linguini
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Operation Sauerkraut was considered a great success; not only was tons of negative propaganda nailed to trees and street signs, but the operatives returned with useful information for the Allies.
In 1943, a woman named Gene Grabeel created a secret decryption program that was used by the United States and the United Kingdom throughout the Cold War. What was the name of the program?
the Venona project
the Manhattan Project
the Decryption project
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The Venona project deciphered much of the intelligence about the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
What female KGB agent was codenamed "Clever Girl" in Venona messages?
Anna Chapman
Elizabeth Bentley
Ethel Rosenberg
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Elizabeth Bentley spied for the Soviet Union for seven years, but she defected from the Communist Party in 1945 and revealed the names of many KGB agents to the United States.
