The execution of Dutch exotic dancer and spy Mata Hari.

Movie scene depicting the execution of Dutch exotic dancer and spy Mata Hari by a French firing squad on October 15, 1917.Today 105 years ago, on October 15, 1917, the Dutch exotic dancer Margaretha Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, was executed by the French for espionage.

Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born on August 7, 1876 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, to an entrepreneurial father who was able to give her a lavish childhood with a good education. As a girl, she was known for being flamboyant and often appearing in flashy dresses.

Though in 1889 her life changed dramatically, as her father went bankrupt, and in 1891 her mother passed away. In 1895, at the age of 18, Margaretha married a 38-year-old Dutch officer, and went to live with him in Dutch Indonesia. Their marriage was plagued by the age gap and financial struggles, but they had 2 children, one of which passed away at the age of 2. The couple was divorced in 1902. 

Margaretha went to Paris for a new start. Without money, career or a husband, she became an exotic dancer, dancing seductively in a salon, and almost instantly became a success. In order to sound more exotic, she adopted the stage name “Mata Hari”, which is “Sun” in Malay.

In 1916, during the First World War, Mata Hari developed a passionate relationship with a Russian pilot from the Russian Expeditionary Force, Captain Vadim Maslov. He was shot down and badly wounded in the summer of 1916, and Mata Hari requested to visit him at the front.

As an exotic dancer from the neutral Netherlands, the French saw a special use for her. She was allowed to visit Maslov if she agreed to spy for France and attempt to seduce the German Crown Prince Wilhelm, whom she had danced for several times before the war, so the French could expose the German heir as a womanizer to the public.

Mata Hari was offered 1 million French  Francs if she could seduce him and provide intelligence of German war plans. She agreed and traveled to Madrid, Spain in late 1916 to meet with a German Major Kalle, in order to set up a meeting with the Crown Prince. 


It’s been more than 50 years since the Vietnam War ended.

It’s been more than 50 years since the Vietnam War ended.

But for the combat nurses who served there, the details remain as sharp in their minds as the needles they…

Read More


the partial remains of Andrew Comyn “Sandy”

the partial remains of Andrew Comyn “Sandy”

After 100 years of speculation surrounding his fate, the partial remains of Andrew Comyn “Sandy” Irvine are believed to have…

Read More


Atlantic slave trade.

Atlantic slave trade.

The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people to the…

Read More


barbaric” mob attack in Nigeria’s southern town of Uromi, in Edo state

barbaric” mob attack in Nigeria’s southern town of Uromi, in Edo state

ABUJA, March 28 (Reuters) – At least seven suspected kidnappers were set ablaze and killed in a “barbaric” mob attack…

Read More


The Holocaust (1933-1945)

The Holocaust (1933-1945)

The Holocaust A genocide during World War II, where six million Jews and millions of others were systematically murdered by…

Read More


The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever

Ole J Benedictow describes how he calculated that the Black Death killed 50 million people in the 14th century, or 60…

Read More


The BLACK DEATH: 1346-1353 epidemic

The BLACK DEATH: 1346-1353 epidemic

The estimated number of deaths ranges from 75 million to 200 million, or between 30 percent and 50 percent of…

Read More


Part 3. Cannibalism in the Chinese great famine 1959.

Part 3. Cannibalism in the Chinese great famine 1959.

There are widespread oral reports, though little official documentation, of human cannibalism being practiced in various forms as a result…

Read More


Part2. Death toll The Great Chinese Famine

Part2. Death toll The Great Chinese Famine

The excess mortality associated with the famine has been estimated by former CCP officials and international experts, with most giving…

Read More


(Part 1) The Great Chinese Famine

(Part 1) The Great Chinese Famine

The Great Chinese Famine  ‘three years of great famine’ was a famine that occurred between 1959 and 1961 in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Some…

Read More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *