Elizebeth Friedman

Elizabeth Friedman, a pioneering cryptanalyst, transformed American codebreaking with her husband William. Born in 1892, she worked at Riverbank Laboratories, where she met William. During WWI, they developed cryptology manuals for the US government. In the Prohibition era, Elizabeth led the US Coast Guard's cryptanalyst unit, tackling organized crime. Her greatest achievement was decrypting Nazi Enigma codes in WWII, revealing enemy spies in South America. Despite her significant contributions, her work remained largely unrecognized until 2015. Elizabeth is now celebrated as America's first female cryptanalyst.

What was Elizabeth Friedman's initial field of interest after graduating college?

• Mathematics

• Languages

• Physics

• Chemistry

During which era did Elizabeth Friedman lead the cryptanalyst unit at the US Coast Guard?

• Prohibition Era

• World War Two

• World War One

• Cold War

What was one of Elizabeth and William Friedman's hobbies?

• Painting

• Sending coded messages to friends

• Collecting stamps

• Gardening

What was Elizabeth Friedman's major achievement during World War 2?

• Leading the US Coast Guard

• Writing a book on cryptology

• Decrypting Enigma machine messages

• Developing new cryptology manuals

Which countries were influenced by Elizabeth's work to declare war on Nazi Germany?

• Paraguay, Guyana, and Suriname

• Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador

• Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile

• Colombia, Venezuela, and Uruguay