DESCRIPTION:
William Friedman, the father of modern American cryptography, broke the Japanese code PURPLE which helped lead to victory in World War II. But you may be surprised to learn that it was Friedman's study of Sir Francis Bacon's 16th century biliteral cipher and the search for hidden codes in Shakespeare (none were found) were essential parts of his training as a codemaker - and code breaker. Part of a Folger exhibition, Decoding the Renaissance. Learn more at www.folger.edu