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Sure the names of most spies aren’t common knowledge, but History has a fascinating list of spies whose names you don’t recognize, but probably should learn. Nancy Wake, at left, leads off the list for her daring exploits in WWII.
Until she developed a reputation as the elusive “White Mouse,” as her enemies dubbed her, she brazenly flirted with German soldiers to waltz through checkpoints. In 1943, aware that her hunters were finally closing in, Wake fled to Spain and later to Britain, where she convinced special agents to train her as a spy and guerilla operative. In April 1944 she parachuted into France to coordinate attacks on German troops and installations prior to the D-Day invasion, leading a band of 7,000 resistance fighters.
Read more about Nancy and the rest at the link.
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It’s easy to look at this picture and wonder, “why is this umbrella so special that it is locked in a glass case?” But that’s before you learn it was a brilliant Soviet spy weapon:
So it was that one day, while Markov was walking to his car in London, he felt a sharp bite on his thigh. When he turned around he saw nothing, only a man who fumbled briefly with an umbrella before running off. The next day he became deathly ill, and died, as one is wont to do when becoming deathly ill. To this day no one has ever been tried for the murder.
You can guess where. Wired has a gallery of gadgets from the history of espionage, including this CIA-issue escape kit from the 1960s.
Link via Nerdcore | Photo: International Spy Museum
James Bond is one of the best and coolest guys in the film world. He is capable of almost anything, and has a ton of tricks up his sleeves. From the author who brought you 55 Tricks of Jason Bourne, here are 69 Tricks and Tools of James Bond, from the first five Bond films, Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice. From Goldfinger:
5. When in the enemy’s bathroom, Bond inspects the room for peepholes, and covers them with his clothing and shaving cream. In addition, he detects a two-way mirror, which lets him know a peephole is close.
6. In a guarded cell, Bond managed to jump to the ceiling and stay there temporarily to lure the guard in and escape.
7. Bond always keeps an eye on the person who has the keys to his handcuffs, so when he is dead, Bond can grab the keys.
Link – via squealingrat
From the Upcoming 
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Engineers at the University of California at Berkeley have developed remote-control beetles that can be used as spies! They aren’t just robots, either. These are cyborgs, real beetles that have implanted electrodes that control their flight muscles.
With the mind of a machine and the nimble body of an insect, this bug-bot may be the perfect scout: inexpensive, expendable, and capable of surreptitious reconnaissance. The Berkeley researchers, led by Michael Maharbiz, note that beetles are strong enough to carry useful payloads, such as a miniature camera.
(image credit: Hirotaka Sato and Michel M. Maharbiz, U. C. Berkeley)
