Supersluts of History: First World War Spy Mata Hari

Supersluts of History: First World War Spy Mata Hari

From Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society by History Hit

June 18, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 435

About this episode

The episode explores the life of Mata Hari, a dancer and courtesan executed for espionage during the First World War, discussing her legacy and the implications of her sexuality.

Mata Hari was a dancer and courtesan who was executed in 1917 for being a spy during the First World War. How did she get involved in such dangerous business? Was she really a mastermind spy who used her sexuality to gain intelligence? Or a scapegoat whose sexuality was used against her? In our new mini-series, Supersluts of History , we're exploring and celebrating women whose sexuality was used to define them. Joining Kate today is Professor Julie Wheelwright , author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. Find out about her upcoming talk about Mata Hari here . This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe .   You can take part in our listener survey here . All music from Epidemic Sounds. Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast. Around 18 minutes says "letters published in 1917" which is wrong, it's 2017…

People in this episode

Host: Kate

Guest: Professor Julie Wheelwright

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit

Books & works: The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage

Places: King's College, London, Bletchley Park

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