Mata Hari Executed: Espionage's Most Famous Spy
French authorities executed Mata Hari by firing squad after a trial where she faced accusations of causing 50,000 soldier deaths through espionage for Germany. Decades later, unsealed German documents confirmed she served as agent H-21 under Captain Hoffmann, yet the specific intelligence she transmitted remains debated among historians. Her execution stands as a stark reminder that wartime justice often relied on circumstantial evidence and political necessity rather than definitive proof of guilt.
October 15, 1917
109 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 15
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