Dorothy Braden

Dorothy Braden had a normal life. She grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, became a Physics/French teacher, was recruited by the Army, and became a Japanese code expert during WWII. ::insert the sound of a record screeching::

She learned Japanese and became an expert cryptographer — in just a few weeks. Most of us have laundry sitting in a basket for a few weeks. To make you feel better about your laundry: Dot knew before President Truman that the Japanese had surrendered.

Dot and her coworkers were threatened with espionage charges punishable by life in prison if they ever talked. In 2017 when the NSA declassified everything, a writer came to speak with Dot. Our girl was like — nope, not falling for your tricks. It took quite some convincing. She even insisted her son, a lawyer, be present. After 70 years of keeping the secret, Dot's story was finally told.