Check out Juan Pujol Garcia, a spy who single handedly saved thousands of lives during D-Day by using his made-up network of spies to convince the Germans that another attack was going to happen in Calais instead of Normandy. He was also the only person to be decorated by both the Axis and Allies.

The Most Amazing Lie in History

How a chicken farmer, a pair of princesses, and 27 imaginary spies helped the Allies win World War II.

In the weeks leading up to D-day, Allied commanders had their best game faces on. “This operation is not being planned with any alternatives,” barked General Dwight D. Eisenhower. “This operation is planned as a victory, and that’s the way it’s going to be!” Indeed, more than 6,000 ships were ready to cruise across the English Channel to plant the first wave of two million troops on the white beaches of Normandy. Nearly 20,000 vehicles would crawl ashore as 13,000 planes dropped thousands of tons of explosives and thousands of paratroopers.

The sheer size of the invasion—it would be the largest in history—was staggering. But so wer… Continue Reading

Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/58468/most-amazing-lie-history