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On January 9, 1806, the body of Horatio Nelson was interred at St Pauls Cathedral in London. However, the sarcophagus chosen as his final resting place had originally belonged to another of Britains most famous figures. How did it happen that the remains of an 18th-century naval hero now occupy the tomb intended for a notorious, 16th-century Cardinal and statesman?What Do We Need to Know About Horatio Nelson?Portrait of Horatio Nelson, by Lemuel Francis Abbot, 1799. Source: Royal Greenwich MuseumsWhere might one begin when describing Horatio Nelson? Taking all areas of his career, personality, and legacy into consideration, it would be difficult to do him justice in a book, let alone a few paragraphs.The first thing to know about Horatio Nelson is when and where he lived and worked. He was born in Norfolk on September 29, 1758, and he died at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. His life spanned the reign of two Monarchs: King George II (1727-1760), and King George III (1760-1820).Perhaps most importantly, Nelson was an Officer of the British Royal Navy. He was also vice-admiral and a viscount. The name Nelson is often spoken of in the same breath as the Duke of Wellington or Napoleon Bonaparte. Like them, he was one of the inspirational men of his era and a key figure in the Napoleonic Wars.The Battle of Trafalgar, 12 October 1805, by J. M. W. Turner, 1822-1824. Source: The National Maritime Museum GreenwichSuch was Nelsons success in the British Navy that he is widely regarded as one of the greatest commanders to have ever lived. The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes his legacy, stating that Nelson is still generally accepted as the most appealing of Britains national heroes.Despite his impressive achievements, Horatio Nelson is best known for other aspects of his life, both public and personal. He is particularly famous for his one remaining arm. He had lost his right arm after being shot at the Battle of Santa Cruz in Tenerife, in 1787. That is to say, nothing of the fame and scandal he attracted as a result of his six-year liaison with the married Lady Hamilton.Residents of Britain, particularly those living in London, may be reminded of Horatio Nelson on a daily basis. A monument called Nelsons Column stands in Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster in Central London. Nelson, depicted with only his left arm remaining, stands atop a 160-foot column. Both column and statue were completed in 1843, the intention being to honor his decisive victory, and later his death, at the Battle of Trafalgar. It is one of the most significant and recognizable monuments in the United Kingdom.Horatio Nelson: Death, Funeral, and IntermentThe Death of Nelson, by Daniel Maclise, 1859-64. Source: Google Arts & CultureHoratio Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805, having been hit by a musket ball. He was just 47 years old, and already a national hero.A victory and a tragedy occurred on the same day, for although the Battle of Trafalgar was won, the life of Horatio Nelson was lost. Britain was greatly conflicted; was it a time to mourn or a time to celebrate? King George III considered it a time to mourn. On hearing the news of the Victory at Trafalgar, and then of Nelsons death, he is alleged to have broken down in tears and said, We have lost more than we have gained.The Times newspaper reported We do not know whether we should mourn or rejoice. The country has gained the most splendid and decisive victory that has ever graced the naval annals of England, but it has been dearly purchased.The funeral of Horatio Nelson took place on January 9, the following year. The procession consisted of 32 Admirals, 100 captains, and 10,000 soldiers, all of whom accompanied Nelson from the Admiralty to the Cathedral. The actual funeral service lasted over four hours. His body was then interred in Cardinal Wolseys sarcophagus, after a parting ceremony that Wolsey could only have dreamed of.Nelson is Shot on the Quarterback, by Denis Dighton, 1825. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe Encyclopaedia Britannica continues to describe the funeral and legacy of Nelson by informing us that a country racked with grief gave him a majestic funeral in St Pauls Cathedral, and his popularity was recorded in countless monuments, streets, and inns named after him and, eventually, in the preservation at Portsmouth of the Victory.If he had known of his ultimate fate, what would Horatio Nelson have thought of his final resting place? Would he have approved of his body being interred in a magnificent sarcophagus of black marble? Would he have objected to this connection with Cardinal Wolsey? These are the questions which will remain unanswered.A Figure From the Past: Who Was Cardinal Wolsey?A Portrait of Cardinal Wolsey, 1595-96. Source: Wikimedia CommonsCardinal Wolsey and Horatio Nelson were two very different people. It would be difficult to think of two figures of British history less alike than each other. It seems strange that they should feature in the same article, let alone share any connection as strong as a place of burial. The sarcophagus in which Nelson lies is the only obvious thing that links the two men. They were born 300 years apart but prospered equally in very different worlds.So, who was Cardinal Wolsey? He was famous neither for his naval leadership nor his scandalous affairs but was known instead for his life-changing rise to prominence and his exceptional political abilities. He lived not in the 18th or 19th centuries but in the 15th and 16th. Although the exact year is unknown, it is likely that he was born around 1473, and he died in the midst of the reign of King Henry VIII, in 1530.At the most successful point of his career, Thomas Wolsey was not only a cardinal but also archbishop of York, bishop of Durham, lord chancellor of England, and papal legate. That is to say nothing of the fact that the young and fun-loving King Henry VIII, at least during his early reign, was almost entirely reliant on him.It is thought that, by the year 1514, Cardinal Wolsey had control of virtually all matters in the kingdom. So trusted was Cardinal Wolsey by King Henry VIII that he was selected as Godfather to his children: Henry Fitzroy and the future Queen Mary I.King Henry VIII, by Meynnart Wewyck, 1509. Source: Wikimedia CommonsDuring his two decades of service, Cardinal Wolsey solved all manner of problems for King Henry, whether it be private, personal, public, or political. Neither Cardinal Wolseys importance during this era, nor his influence over King Henry should be underestimated. Undoubtedly, Wolsey was the supreme power in England. If anyone desired something from the King, they would first seek the approval of the Cardinal.The historian John Guy explains to us the extent of Wolseys power and influence, between the years of 1515 and 1529, by saying that Only in the broadest respects was the King taking independent decisions, it was Wolsey who almost invariably calculated the available options and ranked them for Royal consideration; who established the parameters of each successive debate; who controlled the flow of official information; who selected the Kings secretaries.Although Thomas Wolsey had been born in Ipswich as the son of a butcher and innkeeper, he rose through his own efforts to become the richest man in England but for the king himself. Cardinal Wolsey became renowned for his skill, intelligence, loyalty, and ambition, all of which he used effectively and unceasingly to serve the king.Cardinal Wolseys most famous legacya testament to his unprecedented wealthwas his palace of Hampton Court in Richmond. This glorious, 750-acre residence is now owned by Historic Royal Palaces and is still visited by a quarter of a million tourists each year.The Creation of Cardinal Wolseys SarcophagusPortrait of Benedetto Rovezzano of Florence, after Giorgio Vasari, 1791. Source: Wikimedia CommonsLong before his death in November of 1530, Cardinal Wolsey had planned to be regally interred at Saint Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle. This is where the body of King Henry VIII himself was later laid to rest, in 1547.Saint Georges Chapel was a popular resting place for kings and queens of England gone by. The bodies of King Henry VI, then later King Edward IV, and his wife Elizabeth Woodville, had been interred at the chapel in fairly recent history. This is how Cardinal Wolsey thought of himself. He was grand enough, and eminent enough, to spend eternity beside royalty.Cardinal Wolsey was so concerned with his after-death image that he went as far as to make arrangements for his own coffin. With the help of an Italian artist, Benedetto da Rovezzano of Florence, Cardinal Wolsey designed a tomb fit for a king. Benedetto was a highly respected, Florentine sculptor.Having been commissioned to bring Wolseys design into existence, he soon delivered excellent results. He built what has been described as a magnificent sarcophagus, made almost entirely from smooth, black marble.The finished product included inscriptions, legatine emblems, the archbishops cross, and the cardinals hat, all of which were intended as decoration. Most extravagantly of all, it included four, nine-foot pillars, each topped with human-sized angels bearing candlesticks. So pleased was Cardinal Wolsey with the results that he decided to become Benedetto da Rovezzanos principal patron.An Empty Tomb: What Happened After Cardinal Wolseys Death?Portrait of King Henry VIII, by Joos van Cleve, c. 1531. Source: The Royal CollectionDuring the last few months of his life, while becoming aware of his approaching death, Cardinal Wolsey would have known that a burial in his special sarcophagus was an increasingly unrealistic prospect. Due to his inability to provide King Henry VIII with a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey had endured an irreparable downfall and consequently had been exiled to his residence at Cawood Castle in North Yorkshire.Cardinal Wolsey died under arrest, during a long and arduous journey back to London. It was on the morning of Tuesday, November 29, during the winter of 1530, that he took his last breath. The location of his death was Leicester Abbey, where he had stopped to rest a few days earlier. His passing was likely to have been a relief to him, for he had experienced a long period of great pain, suffering, and sadness.Due to the circumstances of his death, there was absolutely no chance that Cardinal Wolsey would have been allowed the funeral and interment he had desired. There was even less chance that he would be allowed to lie beside royalty at Saint Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle. Cardinal Wolseys sarcophagus lay unused and unwanted.Cardinal Wolsey in Disgrace, by John Seymour Lucas, 1901. Source: artuk.orgContrary to his plans, Cardinal Wolseys funeral was a simple affair. It took place directly after the first prayers of the day, commonly known as Lauds, in the presence of the father abbot and his community of monks. According to reports, Cardinal Wolseys body was not embalmed, (as was expected for a man of his importance), and had been placed cruelly in a coffin of boards. This coffin, with Cardinal Wolseys body inside, was buried beneath the main isle of the Lady Chapel.The Arrival of Cardinal Wolsey at Leicester Abbey, by Richard Westall, 19th century. Source: Artuk.orgThis brief ceremony was truly nothing compared with what he would have been given if Cardinal Wolsey had died in his own bed at Hampton Court, still possessing the love and favor of King Henry VIII. Every detail of his magnificent funeral would have been honored and carefully carried out.27 years later, shortly before his death, King Henry VIII briefly considered using Cardinal Wolseys elaborate sarcophagus for himself. However, he eventually decided against the idea, preferring to share the tomb of his third and possibly favorite wife, Jane Seymour.Portrait of Jane Seymour, by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1536-7. Source: Kunsthistorisches MuseumAfter King Henrys death, all three of his children expressed a desire to fill the vacant coffin when the time came, but similarly, all three ultimately selected other locations. King Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I all left Cardinal Wolseys sarcophagus in the same empty state as it had been for decades.It wasnt until the year 1806, over two centuries later, that Cardinal Wolseys sarcophagus was finally provided with a suitable occupant. It was none other than Horatio Nelson.Horatio Nelson: The Man in Wolseys SarcophagusNelsons Coffin in the Crossing of Saint Pauls During the Funeral Service by Augustus Charles Pugin, 1806. Source: Wellcome CollectionTo this day, the remains of Horatio Nelson lie in the same sarcophagus, still located in the crypt of St Pauls Cathedral in London. In the crypt, Nelson is surrounded by the likes of the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) and Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723). The sarcophagus can still be viewed by tourists, history lovers, visitors, or anyone who cares to lay their eyes upon such an extravagant sculpture.Of Nelsons death, the plaque at Saint Pauls Cathedral states that he was famously killed in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and was buried in Saint Pauls after a state funeral.It then goes on to describe his unexpected connection to Cardinal Wolsey; The black, marble sarcophagus that adorns his tomb was originally made for Cardinal Wolsey, Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Henry VIII in the early sixteenth century, it continues; after Wolseys fall from favour, it remained unused at Windsor until a suitable recipient could be found. Nelsons Viscount coronet now tops this handsome monument.One of Wolseys Angels, 1524-9. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe only differences between the sarcophagus now, and the sarcophagus as it appeared in the 16th century, are the absence of Cardinal Wolseys angels and the appearance of a new inscription. He had originally intended each of the four angels to stand separately surrounding the sarcophagus, one in each corner. However, the angels are no longer attached in any way and have been permanently separated from their original home. The angels were bought as a set after a national appeal, and can now be found housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.Unfortunately, the final resting place of Cardinal Wolsey remains a mystery, even in the 21st century. There have been many attempts to locate his remains, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries but so far none have been successful.As Leicester Abbey no longer stands, no one has yet been able to mark the location of his body. Despite his downfall and disgrace, Cardinal Wolsey is now remembered as one of the key figures of the Tudor era, as a great supporter of King Henry VIII, and as an integral help during his early reign.Portrait of Horatio Nelson, by John Francis Rigaud, 1781. Source: Royal Greenwich MuseumsHoratio Nelson, on the other hand, best remembered for his triumphant victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, is still considered one of the great heroes of British history. However, to Tudor history lovers all over the world, Horatio Nelson will forever be remembered as the man in Wolseys sarcophagus.

Like real-life Red Sparrows, Cold War female spies danced across the male-dominated stage of espionage to their spymasters tune. From courting Einstein to killing Hitler, discover the dangerous missions and treacherous twists and turns that these womens double lives took when they accepted the Kremlins call to fight a psychological war in the shadows.1. Red Nightingale: Nadezhda PlevitskayaPortrait of Nadezhda Plevitskaya by Philipp Andreevich Malyavin, 1924. Source: ArthiveSinger. Actress. Spy.Imperial audiences greeted Nadezhda Plevitskayas appearances with standing ovations. So, how did Nicholas IIs favorite folk singer end up on trial in a French court as a Soviet spy?Born in Kursk to a family of twelve children, Nadezhda Plevitskaya (1884-1940) started life as a peasant girl with a voice like a nightingale. She soon enchanted audiences in Moscow and Kyiv. By 1909, she performed in high society salons and for Tsar Nicholas II. Her repertoire of folk songs appealed to aristocrats and workers, turning her into a popular icon. Before long, Nadezhda only entertained the elite, as ticket prices for her concerts were out of reach for the masses.Before political events thrust her into the whirlwind of revolution, Nadezhda had already conquered hearts, giving 40 music tours in Russia, Western Europe, and America. With her new wealth, the singer bought luxury apartments and supported numerous charities.Married four times, first to a Polish dance master, then to two Russian officers, and finally to a White Army general, Nadezhda led a tumultuous life ruled by music, money, and love. When World War I engulfed Europe, Nadezhda followed her husband, Lieutenant Vladimir Shangin, to the front, where she joined the Red Cross. Five months later, tragedy struck when Shangin died on the battlefield. When the Bolshevik Revolution came, Nadezhda started singing for the Red Army. She also remarried, this time to Lieutenant Yuri Levitsky, an officer mobilized into the Red Army during the Soviet occupation of Kursk.Nadezhda Plevitskaya and her husband, General Nikolai Skoblin, in the 1920s. Source: PodlinnikIn 1919, she switched sides when she was captured with her new husband by the White Army. There, she fell in love again, this time with handsome, emaciated Nikolai Skoblin, an aristocratic cavalry officer eight years her junior and the youngest general in the White Army. Ignoring their political differences, a smitten Nikolai saved Nadezhda from the firing squad. After a secret engagement, an escape from Russia, and time spent nursing Skoblin back to health, the singer married the general in exile.Despite popular music tours in Paris and New York in the early 1920s, Plevitskaya struggled to adapt to life outside of her homeland. When the initial Russian craze plummeted, so did her finances. In France, the former Red Army darling pursued her singing career as well as a taste for jewelry and furs, which neither she nor her husband, a Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) intelligence chief, could afford.Founded by Baron Pyotr Wrangel, ROVS functioned as a support system for migr soldiers. It also fomented anti-Soviet uprisings in Russia. Soviet intelligence services kept a close eye on the organization, which boasted 20,000 members, fearing that if war broke out in Europe, the anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army would join forces with Germany.Soviet propaganda poster, Female workers and peasants, make your way to the voting booth! Under the red banner, in the same ranks as the men, we inspire fear in the bourgeoisie! by N. A. Valerianov 1925. Source: Duke UniversityIn 1930, a homesick Skoblin and Plevitskaya petitioned the Soviets for amnesty to enable them to return to their country.The Soviets saw their chance. In return for restored civil rights, a country-wide tour for Nadezhda and a position on the Red Army General Staff for Nikolai, Soviet intelligence recruited the couple into their ranks. For the next seven years, they spied on their friends, reporting ROVS every move to the Soviets. Under the code names Farmer and Farmers Wife, they helped neutralize 17 anti-Soviet agents smuggled into Russia and demolish 11 safe houses in Leningrad, Moscow, and the Transcaucasia region.In 1937, the NKVD (Soviet secret police) hatched a plot to kidnap the head of ROVS, General Yevgeny Miller. The plan would only work if Skoblin lured Miller into a trap. Miller had previously appointed Skoblin head of the Inner Line, a secret intelligence sector within ROVS that focused on targeting the Bolsheviks. In this role, Skoblin accessed key information about internal sabotage operations.By 1936, General Miller removed Skoblin from his leadership role. Skoblin and several other officers then declared open war on Miller. Tense relations between the two men escalated from a power struggle to betrayal. Although he remained in the dark about Skoblins Moscow handlers, the general began to suspect a conspiracy.Nikolai Yezhov with Josef Stalin, 1937. Source: Wikimedia CommonsOn September 22, 1937, Miller left his office at 12:30 p.m. to attend a lunchtime meeting that Skoblin arranged between two officers from the German embassy in Paris. These officers wanted to harvest intelligence from ROVS to use against the Soviets. They encouraged ROVS to join forces with Hitler to beat the Soviet Union. Unbeknownst to Skoblin, the general, suspecting a trap, left a note behind as a safeguard. This note played a key role in the subsequent high-profile trial. After arriving at the rendezvous point at the corner of Rue Jasmin and Rue Raffa, Miller stepped into Skoblins car and disappeared.Skoblin drove Miller to a villa rented by the NKVD on the outskirts of Paris. Then Skoblin left the general with the two alleged German officers. Inside the villa, the officers suddenly revealed themselves as NKVD agents. Overpowering Miller, they drugged him with sedatives and stuffed him into a wooden shipping container punched with air holes to keep him alive.General Yevgeny Miller in exile in France, 1930. Source: Wikimedia Commons; Miller during his imprisonment in Moscow. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe Soviets smuggled Miller onto a cargo ship, the Marya Ulyanova, which sailed from the French port of Le Havre to the USSR via the Baltic. When Miller did not return from the meeting, his secretary discovered the note. Instead of calling the police, two ROVS generals went to confront Skoblin. Skoblin claimed he did not see Miller that day. While the generals discussed how to handle the situation, Skoblin exited the office and vanished.Meanwhile, NKVD agents took Miller to Moscow, where they interrogated him for two years before his execution. Meanwhile, the Soviets spirited Skoblin to Spain, where they killed the general and tossed his body out of an airplane during an air raid over Barcelona.Despite her claims that the Soviets also kidnapped Nikolai, Nadezhda was arrested and sentenced to 20 years of penal labor. The folk singer died in prison two years later, during the Nazi occupation of France. According to one story, NKVD agents poisoned Plevitskaya in her cell, while another version claimed that the Nazis eliminated her as a suspected Soviet spy. One thing remains clear: both the Germans and the Soviets believed that Nadezhda knew too much. After Nadezhdas death, the Nazis exhumed her body, possibly to verify her identity, and then reburied her in a common grave.Today, the full story of Nadezhda and Nikolais role as Russian spies remains sealed inside the archives of the Russian Federation.2. Fraternizing With Hitler: Olga ChekhovaHitler posing with actress Olga Chekhova; Nazis salute the Fhrer, 1930s. Source: Cracked.com; NBC NewsIts a provocative picture. A beautiful blonde movie star smiling next to one of the most brutal dictators of the twentieth century.Born into a Russianized German family in 1897, Olga Knipper, the niece and namesake of Anton Chekhovs wife, would later hit English tabloid headlines as the spy who vamped Hitler.In 1920, Olga escaped war-torn Russia while smuggling out a single diamond ring. Her brother Lev, who had opposed Bolsheviks during the Civil War, returned to work as a composer and a possibly reluctant Soviet spy. His previous service for the White Army marked him for death if he failed to cooperate with the new regime.Meanwhile, Olga found her way into the German movie industry, making a name for herself in the 1930s as the favorite film star of dictator Adolf Hitler. Under this glamorous cover, the actress also allegedly worked for Soviet intelligence. Recruited by her brother, Olga memorized secret codes, learned encryption techniques, and mapped safe houses while preparing to go deep into the ranks of the Third Reich.After dazzling Hollywood in a Hitchcock film, Olga starred in 150 films and played erotic roles in Berlins postwar theaters. No wonder she became the Fhrers favorite by 1933, the year that Hitler was appointed German chancellor. After Hitler met Olga, he showered her with notes and presents. Hitler wasnt the only one smitten with the woman he soon dubbed the state actress of the Third Reich. German soldiers and airmen also tacked up Olgas photo in their quarters and throughout the Luftwaffe barracks.Olga Chekhova played roles in 150 movies. Source: Russia Beyond the HeadlinesAs Europe headed towards war, Olga reveled as a Nazi socialite, cozying up to Hitler, Gring, and Goebbels. During her double life, she rubbed elbows with the Fhrer at diplomatic receptions. She slept with Nazi flying aces, danced on the table at a Third Reich New Years Eve party, and even became friends with Hitlers mistress, Eva Braun. Embedded in the Nazi hierarchy, this Soviet asset became a part of the Nazi propaganda machine. Her proximity eventually placed her at the center of a Soviet intelligence plan to assassinate Hitler.Although Olga posed for photographs with Hitler, it is unknown whether she discussed secret state matters with him. What is known is that she warned Goebbels in 1941, in a show of undisguised patriotism, that Germany would never defeat Russia.Whether a Soviet agent or a wartime opportunist, Olga lived a charmed life, fted by the Third Reich, while juggling a relationship with Viktor Abkumov, the brutal director of the Soviet counterintelligence agency, SMERSH. In April 1945, Olga escaped to a secret retreat in the forests outside Berlin as the Red Army marched on the city. One day, Soviet soldiers burst through the door of her house. An enemy actress alone in hostile territory could have spelled disaster. But when Olga began speaking Russian, the situation changed fast. A senior officer, called to the scene, recognized her famous surname, and contacted the NKVD.Image of red lipstick on a black background. Source: UnsplashThe NKVD airlifted Olga to Moscow for debriefing as the Nazi regime collapsed. For two months, she stayed in a covert apartment, guarded by Soviet officers who drove her to the Kremlin for secret meetings. When Chekhova moved to West Germany after the war, the Soviets rewarded her with a comfortable lifestyle.Driven by ideology, fear, or the complex loyalties of a totalitarian age, Olgas role as a Kremlin spy within the Third Reich remains a legendary tale of opportunism that adds an intriguing footnote to the history of World War II.3. Spying for Stalin: Elena FerrariElena Ferrari, 1935. Source: Wikimedia CommonsBeing a Russian spy meant navigating changing political winds, and not everyone who spied for the Cold War bugbear made it out alive.Born Olga Fedorovna Revzina to a family of Jewish origins, Elena Konstantinovna Ferrari (1899-1938) became a career spy for the Red Army. As a teenager, Elena spoke fluent English, German, French, Italian, and Turkish. In 1916, she joined the Bolshevik Party before defecting to the anarchists during the Russian Civil War. By 1918, she changed allegiance and joined the Red Army. During a fierce battle in Ukraine, she lost a finger on one hand, which gave her a distinctive appearance.When the war ended in 1920, she trained as a spy at the future GRU academy in Moscow. After her graduation, Ferrari participated in an assassination attempt against General Pyotr Wrangel. In October 1921, she and other agents steered the Italian steamship Adria into the generals yacht, Lukullus, moored at Constantinople. The boat sank within minutes, along with three sailors, the White Armys records, and a treasury of 40,000 francs.Before the crash occurred, Wrangel and his family went ashore, enabling them to escape the assassination attempt.When Turkish authorities seized the Adria, they could not prove that the Soviets caused the disaster. Witnesses, however, claimed to spot a dark-haired woman with four fingers, later identified as Ferrari, aboard the Adria when it rammed into Wrangels yacht.Wrangels army evacuating Crimea, 1920. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIn 1922, Elena showed up in Germany, sporting a new surname, Ferrari. Painting herself as a refugee, she insinuated herself into migr literary circles that included novelist Maxim Gorky and other important figures of 1920s Russian Berlin. Behind the scenes, however, Ferrari worked to dismantle anti-Soviet activities in Berlin.Disaster struck in 1923 when Gorky discovered her Soviet connections and warned the others that Ferrari worked for the Bolsheviks. With her identity exposed, Elena returned to Moscow and initiated a new intelligence operation in Italy. Once again, she ingratiated herself into the migr community and even published a collection of poems.Next, Elena began undercover work in the United States. Under the code name Vera, Elena arrived in New York City to recruit new American agents. As a cover, she joined a local art studio and cozied her way into circles where prominent government officials ran. Her success brought more accolades, including the Order of the Red Banner award.Just before her next mission, Ferraris ascent took a sudden nosedive. The Great Terror, which began devouring Communists once in favor with the regime, caught up to her. In December 1937, the Soviets charged Elena with treason for counterrevolutionary espionage. The Supreme Court sentenced its former spy to death on June 16, 1938. Elena Ferrari was executed by firing squad at the Kommunarka training ground outside Moscow on the same day as her arrest.4. From Russia, With Love: Margarita KonenkovaMargarita Konenkova posing with Albert Einstein. Source: National GeographicWhen famous theoretical physicist Albert Einstein exchanged a flurry of intimate letters with a married socialite during the 1940s, he had no idea that he had just fallen in love with an alleged Soviet spy. Einstein first met Margarita Konenkova (code name Lukas) at Princeton during World War II. Among the circle of American scientists there, the two developed a close relationship. She was 51, and Einstein was 56.The letters that Einstein wrote to Margarita reveal a poetic side to the famous scientist. The couple exchanged multiple letters, nine of which survive today. What Einstein didnt know was that the woman who loved him was a Russian agent tasked with influencing American scientists. Despite frosty relations between the Soviet Union and the United States, Konenkova introduced Einstein to Pavel Mikhailov, the Soviet consul and a Soviet military intelligence officer, and facilitated multiple meetings. After meeting in 1935, the couple spent several months together at Einsteins home in Lake Saranac, New York. Everything here reminds me of you, Einstein later wrote Margarita from his Princeton home during the first postwar winter.Einsteins handwritten letters revealed the scientists romantic side. Source: ChristiesDespite Konenkovas occupation and Einsteins infatuation, no evidence exists that he passed classified information on to her. What is known is that she had relationships with important scientists such as Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.By 1945, Margarita returned to Russia. But distance didnt stop their romance. Albert and Margarita kept their relationship secret the entire time. In 1994, a Russian newspaper exposed the affair. Former Soviet spymaster Pavel Sudoplatov backed up the claim that the Kremlin tasked Konenkova with pressuring Einstein for nuclear intelligence, although he had no direct link to the Manhattan Project. When Konenkova returned to Moscow in 1945, the state provided for her, suggesting that Stalin found her work in America useful.While Einstein dropped no bombshell secrets, the letters provide an intriguing view into the lives of two people who found sanctuary in each other. Until the archives reveal the truth, whether Margarita had real feelings for Einstein or only viewed the scientist as a source of information remains a mystery.5. The Housewife Who Almost Killed Hitler: Ursula KuczynskiPhotograph of Ursula Kuczynski, a.k.a. Ruth Werner; Mushroom cloud from atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll, 1946. Source: Daily Mail; Library of CongressPlanting a Soviet sleeper agent right under the noses of the British authorities became something of a scandal during the Cold War.Spy, mother, and woman of many aliases, Ursula Kuczynski (1907-2000), born in Berlin to a left-wing Polish-Jewish family, became one of those deep-cover agents that the West feared.Operating for over a decade, Ursula became a successful author, served as a colonel in the Red Army, and evaded suspicion as a Soviet operative-all while raising three children. In the 1930s, her progressive politics led her into active espionage for the USSR. When Ursula moved to China, she was recruited by Richard Sorge, the Soviet spymaster in the Far East. Next, Ursula gained her spy bona fides at the GRU school outside Moscow. There, she learned Russian and Morse code while building radio transmitters and receivers designed to transmit information to her handlers. Afterward, the GRU deployed Ursula to operate spy rings in Britain, Poland, Switzerland, and China.On the eve of the Second World War, the Soviets deployed Kuczynski to the German-occupied city of Danzig. Hot on a new spy ring mission, Ursula met an English Communist named Len Beurton there. In 1940, the GRU authorized Len and Ursula, who already had a husband, to marry. This act gave Ursula British citizenship, enabling her to work as a spy in England. A wave of clandestine transmissions followed, as she recruited multiple high-level agents including Klaus Fuchs, a German political exile, who worked in a secret atomic research facility near Harwell.Photograph of a spy camera. Source: PixabayDuring World War II, Ursula sent Moscow important atomic bomb data, obtained from several nuclear physicists via radio transmissions. She often bicycled into the countryside to meet Fuchs, where he provided her with secret documents written in tiny script.Time after time, Ursula escaped detection, even though counterintelligence operatives almost caught her several times. The Oxfordshire housewife even came close to helping assassinate Adolf Hitler. In 1939, the Soviets hatched a plot to kill Hitler as he ate dinner in a private dining room at one of his favorite restaurants, the Osteria Bavaria, in Munich. After scoping out the security guards, Len and his accomplices planted a bomb in a suitcase next to a wall partitioning the main restaurant from the dictators private dining space.Right before springing the plot, Stalin, who had just signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, called off the operation. Stalin believed that with Hitler dead, the surviving German generals would join Britain and the United States in an anti-Soviet alliance.After World War II, Kuczynskis spy work ended without explanation. Moving to East Berlin, Ursula escaped detection and worked as a popular childrens author under the name Ruth Werner until her death at 93. Thanks to her mundane disguise as an apron-wearing, cake-baking housewife who took long bicycle rides in the countryside, Ursula Kuczynski became one of the 20th centurys most successful spies.

Costco may be famous for its cheap hot dogs and rotisserie chickens, but the warehouse club also sells a lineup of cool robots. Here are a few of the best.

Vanessa Larco,partner atPremiseand former partner at NEA, thinks 2026 will finally be the year of consumer AI. Larco, whos been investing in consumer and prosumer for years, thinks were about to see a shift in how consumers spend time online, with AI powering concierge-like services. The question is, will legacy consumer products like WebMD and []

Anthropic is reportedly in talks to raise $10 billion at a $350 billion valuation, marking its third mega-round in a year.