The Woman Who Smashed Codes

Let us begin, not with the clatter of war or the hum of machines, but with a quiet moment in a grand old library. Picture a young woman, Elizebeth Smith, standing among rows of ancient books, her heart full of hope and uncertainty. She is searching for a job, anything to break free from the constraints of her small-town life and the expectations placed upon her. It is in this moment, where her journey seems most ordinary, that fate intervenes. A stranger arrives—a wealthy, eccentric man who sees in her a spark of curiosity. He offers her a position at his estate, Riverbank Laboratories, a place as bizarre as it is brilliant.

Riverbank is unlike any other laboratory. There are pet bears, gardens designed by Japanese emperors’ own gardeners, and a perpetual motion machine that never quite works. The staff is an eclectic mix of scientists, engineers, and dreamers. Here, Elizebeth is tasked with deciphering supposed secret messages hidden in Shakespeare’s plays—a quest inspired by the Baconian theory that the Bard’s works are coded with the secrets of Francis Bacon.

While the pursuit of these literary ciphers may seem quaint, even misguided, it is within this peculiar project that the seeds of American codebreaking are sown. Elizebeth, with her sharp mind and love of words, discovers an aptitude for patterns and puzzles. She learns to see the world differently, to notice the hidden structures beneath the surface of language. The work is meticulous, sometimes tedious, but it awakens something within her—a sense of purpose, a calling.

The lessons of Riverbank are not just about codes, but about the power of curiosity and the willingness to leap into the unknown. Elizebeth’s journey is a testament to the idea that greatness often begins in the most unlikely places, with a single step into the unfamiliar. We are all, in some way, searching for our own Riverbank—a place where our peculiarities are not just accepted, but celebrated.

As we move forward, we’ll see how this unlikely genesis transforms not just Elizebeth’s life, but the very science of secret writing. Next, we’ll explore the birth of American cryptology and the partnership that would change the world.