Supersluts of History: First World War Spy Mata Hari
6/19/202655 min
Mata Hari was a dancer and courtesan who was executed in 1917 for being a spy during the First World War.
How did she get involved in such dangerous business? Was she really a mastermind spy who used her sexuality to gain intelligence? Or a scapegoat whose sexuality was used against her?
In our new mini-series, Supersluts of History, we're exploring and celebrating women whose sexuality was used to define them.
Joining Kate today is Professor Julie Wheelwright, author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. Find out about her upcoming talk about Mata Hari here.
This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.
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All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Around 18 minutes says "letters published in 1917" which is wrong, it's 2017.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WtevPqsQ9ecjK2BrXnbFsudhYHzJU6hB
I’ll be speaking about Mata Hari at the Society for Intelligence History conference at King's College, London, in October.
And about Martha McKenna, the Spy Who Fooled Churchill at Bletchley Park in October.
https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/nihc/
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKate Lister· Host0:00
Do you want even more shocking and scandalous history, like why the ancient Greek statues had such small manhoods, or what went on behind closed doors in the Georgian era? Well, sign up to History Hit, where you can see me discover the scandalous side of history, as well as hundreds of hours of original documentaries, plus new releases every week, covering everything from prehistoric Scotland to the Treaty of Versailles. Sign up to join me in locations around the world and explore the past. Just visit historyhit.com/subscribe.
Matt Lewis0:33
[instrumental music] Did you know that in 1485, the Tudor dynasty began right in the heart of Leicester? If you love the drama of the Wars of the Roses, join me, Matt Lewis, for a new walking audio tour from History Hit. We'll trace the final days of the Plantagenet era, following Richard III from his last restless night in the city to the very spot where the Tudor Age began. All you need is your smartphone and the VoiceMap app. It uses your location to trigger the story automatically, so you can keep your phone in your pocket and your eyes on the history. Download VoiceMap from your app store or go to voicemap.me/historyhit. That's voicemap.me/historyhit.
Unknown speaker1:23
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