The flames at the Smithsonian were not the first -and certainly would not be the last-disaster to upend a museum in the United States. Rare objects and valuable paintings were destroyed. The New York Times wrote that “the destruction of so many of its fine collections will be viewed as a national calamity.” Dazed soldiers and worried citizens could only watch as the flames engulfed the museum’s castle. On an afternoon in January 1865, a roaring fire swept through the Smithsonian Institution. In today’s episode, we explore the life and death of Mata Hari, a woman who was an excellent performer, perhaps a poor spy, but above all else, never, ever uninteresting. The only recent the French military charged her with espionage was to distract the nation from France’s poor showing in the war. But more recently, historians argued that she was merely a gossip who tried to steal state secrets but never discovered anything that couldn’t be found in the newspapers. Immediately after her death, biographies ran with the juicier narrative and turned her into the femme fatale archetype, who lured high-ranking officers into her boudoir and steal their documents while they were asleep. ![]() At her trial, prosecutors claimed that the world-famous exotic dancer had seduced countless men from both sides of the war (definitely true) and leaked intelligence that caused the deaths of 50,000 French soldiers (almost certainly false). New shows are released every Wednesday through iTunes, RSS and our homepage.Even before Mata Hari (née Margaretha Zelle) was executed by a French firing squad in 1917 for spying on behalf of the Germans, her life had already become legend. The Trip is a weekly podcast discussing all aspects of travel, hosted by JeniLynn Knopp and Teresa Echols. New shows are released every Thursday through iTunes, RSS and our homepage. Our team of Universal experts includes Craig Williams, JeniLynn Knopp and Ryan Clavin. Our show is an unbiased and honest look at every aspect of the Universal experience – from dining and theme parks to attractions and hotels. The DIS Unplugged: Universal Edition podcast is a weekly roundtable discussion that covers all aspects of planning a Universal Orlando vacation. The DIS Unplugged Podcast: Universal Edition New shows are released every Tuesday through iTunes, RSS and our homepage. Our team of Disneyland experts includes Tom Bell, Nancy Johnson, Mary Jo Mellado Willey, Michael Bowling and Tony Spittell. Our show is an unbiased and honest look at every aspect of a Disney experience – from dining and theme parks to attractions and hotels. ![]() The DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast is a weekly roundtable discussion that covers all aspects of planning a Disneyland vacation. The DIS Unplugged Podcast: Disneyland Edition Our team of Orlando experts includes Pete Werner, Julie Martin, Corey Martin, Kevin Klose, John Magi, Kathy Werling, Teresa Echols, JeniLynn Knopp, Craig Williams and Ryan Clavin. The DIS Unplugged podcast is a weekly roundtable discussion that covers all aspects of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Click Here to listen to the Introduction Show The DIS Unplugged Podcast: Orlando Edition
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