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NAME: Mata Hari
LIFETIME: August 7, 1876 – October 15, 1917
WHAT SHE IS KNOWN FOR: Mata Hari was an exotic dancer and courtesan-turned-spy during World War I. Her dance style became the norm for Paris.
WHY WE LOVE HER: At 18, Hari answered an ad in the newspaper by a Colonel in the Dutch Navy looking for a wife. She packed her bags and moved to Indonesia, where she began an unhappy marriage. The couple divorced in 1906, and Hari made her way to Paris to become a dancer. She put out the story that she was a Javanese princess and became an overnight success. Unfortunately, Hari’s career started to dwindle as she aged and was forced to make a career change. She became a courtesan, entertaining high-ranking military officials, politicians and other men in powerful positions. Hari was not confined to only the men of France; she went international with her trade. Like Josephine Baker, Hari used her position to entertain important officials worldwide. Although the woman was working as a spy for France, it is alleged that she was working as a double agent for Germany. When the French intercepted a message from Germany, they were able to decode the message and determined that the spy, H-21, was in fact Mata Hari. She was promptly arrested, tried and executed by a firing squad for treason.
FUN FACT: Hari created the image of the femme fatale, who used her sexual relationships to extract military secrets. This image of the femme fatale is one that still stands today.
