She Broke up a Nazi Spy Ring and Took Her Secret to the Grave

A Code-Breaker During World War I

During her time with George Fabyan, Friedman met the love of her life, William Friedman, and tied the knot. The two continued to work as codebreakers, and when the first world war broke out, they became the leaders of the first code-breaking unit in the United States.

Friedman had never received professional training as a code-breaker, but she was exceptionally good at the process. She was capable of recognizing patterns and providing calculative hunches, which usually turned out to be correct.