History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

Collection: Spies

Virginia Hall (1906-1982)

The Most Dangerous Spy of All

This "most dangerous of all spies" staged daring mountaintop escapes, prison breaks, and railway bombings -- all on her trusty wooden leg, codenamed "Cuthbert."

Manuela Sáenz (1797-1859)

The Liberator of the Liberator

This revolutionary heroine of South America kept a pet bear, a disembodied moustache, and a lifestyle that defied every convention possible.

Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904)

The Undefinable Adventurer

This undefinable adventurer's life burnt bright but short: a wildcard of the Algerian revolution, she survived an assassination attempt by sabre, and died in a freak desert flood.

Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944)

The Spy Princess

Pacifist Indian princess who gave up everything of herself to hold the line in occupied Paris during World War 2.

Yoshiko Kawashima (1907-1947)

The Traitor Princess of Manchuria

Bisexual cross-dressing spy princess of the Qing dynasty – a hero to some and unspeakable villain to others.

Josephine Baker (1906-1975)

Queen of the Stage

Rose from dire poverty and violence to become the greatest black entertainer of all time - Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie all rolled into one.

Mata Hari (1876-1917)

The Double Agent Who Wasn't

This amateur dancer escaped a life of abuse by pretending to be an Indonesian princess - and eventually became a victim of the maniacal world of espionage.

Harriet Tubman (1822-1913)

The American Moses

Escaped slave turned slave rescuer turned plantation-torching Union spymaster, she was part Moses, part Joan of Arc, part Spider-Man.

Chiyome Mochizuki (16th century)

The Widow Who Ran a Ninja Academy

Recruited widows, orphans, and prostitutes into an all-woman ninja spy group, the largest in Asia at the time.

Josefina Guerrero (1918-1996)

Leper Spy of the Philippines

Let her leprosy go untreated for years to make herself the perfect spy in the Japan-occupied Philippines - soldiers wouldn't touch her, so she could slip right through.