History Dispatches

Crypto AG was a Swiss company that specialized in encryption technology with roots all the way back to 1920. In 1970, the company was sold. The buyers - the CIA and BND - the latter West Germany's intelligence service. The result was described as the 'Intelligence Coup of the Century'. This is the story of Operation Rubicon.

Sources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/national-security/cia-crypto-encryption-machines-espionage/

https://www.cryptomuseum.com/intel/cia/rubicon.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rubicon

Image: by Rama - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagelin_CX-52-IMG_0568-white.jpg

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On a cold October night, on the Harvard Bridge in Boston, Oliver Smoot and his fellow MIT fraternity pledges were doing something odd - measuring how long the bridge was in Mr. Smoot's height. But they succeeded, and eventually this would cause the unit - the Smoot - to be born. It is a story that lives on in the lore of Boston, MIT, the Internet, and the very concrete of the Harvard Bridge itself.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot

https://news.mit.edu/2008/smoot-tt0924

Image: Courtesy MIT - https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/object/GCP-00023939?query=smoot&resultIndex=6

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Over 10 days in 1913, Mexico experienced a coup d'état that would lead to the execution of its nation’s president. During this crisis, Mexico would end up having - in less than an hour’s time span - three different presidents. This is the story of the 10 Tragic Days.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mexican-revolution-and-the-united-states/interactive-map.html

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decena_trágica.JPG

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After Mexico gained its independence in the early 1800's it had a bit of a sore spot - Texas. This sore spot would eventually turn into the Texas Revolution, but before that, there was the Fredonia Rebellion. This was a series of evictions, fraudulent elections, and farcical arrests that eventually amounted to a declaration of independence.

Sources

Richard Fields - Cherokee Chief, True West Magazine, March 1987

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fredonian-rebellion

https://easttexashistory.org/items/show/166

Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fredonian_Rebellion_Flag_of_1826.svg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konen_Colorado_%26_Red_River_Land_Co._c._1835_UTA_(map).jpg

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In 1918, 60,000 soldiers of the Czechoslovak Legion found themselves trapped inside Russia after the collapse of the Russian Empire in WW1. What followed was a nearly three year battle to cross the length of Russia - 6,000 miles - to a port on the Pacific - and ships to take these men home to their new nation. This is the story of the Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Legion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Czechoslovak_Legion

https://www.fpri.org/article/2016/06/epic-misadventure-historic-achievement-remarkable-story-czecho-slovak-legion/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Czechoslovak_Review,_Czechoslovak_railroad_car.jpg

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