Since Antiquity, humans have encoded their messages to keep them secret from enemies, who in turn strive to break these codes and understand their adversaries' intentions. Cryptanalysis, today at the crossroads of mathematics and computer science, plays an essential role in every conflict. In the 20th century, an American woman with a background in literature would distinguish herself in this field. She is Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892–1980), an exceptional cryptanalyst who would leave her mark on history and influence the course of wars.
Elizebeth was born in 1892 into a large American family. Very studious at a time when girls' education was far from a priority, she had to negotiate hard with her father to pursue higher education. He finally agreed on the condition that his daughter repay him for her tuition with 6% interest. Determined, she rose to the challenge. At university, she studied Greek and English literature. After graduating, she went to try her luck in Chicago.
A fateful encounter
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Elizebeth's destiny changed one day in a library. She went there to consult an original edition of Shakespeare's works and met a wealthy man who came regularly to study the same manuscript. After a brief conversation, he invited her to his home. Surprised and skeptical, Elizebeth eventually followed him.
This man was George Fabyan, a wealthy industrialist. The owner of a vast estate in Riverbank, California, he gathered scientists there to conduct research in various fields.
