What happens when a classroom codebreaking challenge leads to a remarkable piece of history?
Mr. Fred explores Code Girls by Liza Mundy, the story of American women whose secret work helped break German and Japanese codes during World War II. Meet teacher-turned-codebreaker Dot Braden and discover Genevieve Grotjan’s contribution to solving the Japanese diplomatic cipher known as PURPLE.
Along the way, we make sense of encryption, connect wartime secrecy to everyday privacy, and celebrate the people behind the technology. It’s a conversation for parents, educators, history fans, and anyone who enjoys a good puzzle.
This week’s Tech Challenge: create and decode a secret message with someone using a simple Caesar cipher. All you need is paper, a pencil, and a little curiosity.
Read Mr. Fred’s Code Girls book review:
","author_name":"Fred Aebli (\"Mr. Fred\")"}