Huntington in Huntington County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Elizebeth Smith Friedman
1892-1980
Photographed By Willard McKinzie, August 26, 2021
1. Elizebeth Smith Friedman Marker
Pioneering cryptanalyst Elizebeth Friedman was born in Huntington. She developed her skill in codebreaking while searching for supposed hidden messages Shakespeare’s plays at Riverbank Laboratories in Illinois in the 1910s. There, she and her husband William invented new techniques for modern cryptology and taught U.S. military officers how to break codes in WWI.
During the 1920s-1930s. Friedman destroyed crime rings by breaking the codes of prohibition rum runners and international drug smugglers. She led and trained the U.S. Coast Guard’s cryptanalytic unit vital to the U.S. Navy and FBI. In WWI she decrypted Nazi radio messages sent to spies in South America, helping capture the agents and weaken the Axis alliance.
Erected 2021 by Indiana Historical Bureau, City of Huntington, Indiana University, Justin Troutman, Jason Fagone, Tim Dierks, and Family and Friends of Elizebeth Friedman. (Marker Number 35.2021.1.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • War, World I • Women. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list.
Location. 40° 52.708′ N, 85° 30.37′ W. Marker is
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Elizabeth Smith Friedman (a few steps from this marker); Order of the Purple Heart (a few steps from this marker); WWII Sherman Tank (within shouting distance of this marker); John R. Kissinger (within shouting distance of this marker); In Memory of All Vietnam Veterans (within shouting distance of this marker); Taps (within shouting distance of this marker); Huntington Korean War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Huntington Vietnam War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntington.
Photographed By Willard McKinzie, August 26, 2021
2. Elizebeth Smith Friedman Marker Reverse
Photographed By Willard McKinzie, May 30, 2023
3. Elizebeth Smith Friedman Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2021, by Willard McKinzie of Huntington, Indiana. This page has been viewed 419 times since then and 72 times this year. Last updated on January 1, 2024, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 26, 2021, by Willard McKinzie of Huntington, Indiana. 3. submitted on January 18, 2024, by Willard McKinzie of Huntington, Indiana. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
