Q&A
Was there a real spy called James Bond?
SHORT ANSWER
Author Ian Fleming was less inspired by the real-life Bonds than he was a bird expert
LONG ANSWER
There has been an ongoing discussion about the real spies that may have inspired the character of James Bond. ey were men Ian Fleming worked with in Naval Intelligence during World War II, including playboy adventurer Sir William Stephenson and Serbian double agent Duško Popov, who fed the Germans false information while reporting for MI6.
The theories got shaken, not stirred, with the unearthing of two spies with the actual name: James Charles Bond, a member of the Special Operations Executive under Fleming, and James Albert Bond, who worked in Poland. The truth, however, is that the superspy was not based on a real James Bond, but Fleming himself – with some extra razzle-dazzle thrown in. As for the name, Fleming wanted something ordinary, and as a keen birdwatcher he owned a copy of Birds of the West Indies by esteemed ornithologist… James Bond.
626
The total number of human figures depicted on the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry, along with 190 horses and 35 dogs.