Culture
What WWII-Era Codebreaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman Can Teach The Modern Woman
She solved the mystery of Shakespeare’s identity, brought down Prohibition-era rum running operations, and foiled the Nazis' plan to take over South America — in addition to being a wife and mother. Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s accomplishments make her a contender for the most interesting woman of the 20th century.
By Regan Monnin3 min read
Chances are you’ve never heard of Elizebeth Smith Friedman. There’s a good, albeit sad, reason for that. At the end of WWII, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover took credit for her accomplishments and erased Friedman from the official record. Once the leading codebreaker for the U.S. government, Friedman took her involvement in breaking WWII code to the grave.