Dear History Lover,

       There is no time like the present to bestow spooky stories. That goal extends beyond the stage. Perhaps you have heard the legacy of 'Lady Death,' and welcome October's Halloween showcase. What spirits do we evoke? Perhaps, we shall create an Immersive Living History Experience to haunt and inspire!

        They told her that winters in Russia were brutal, but nobody warned her about the humidity in September. No matter. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was the President’s "eyes, ears, and legs" during his four presidential administrations. Mrs. Roosevelt traveled from Florida to Maine, and North Carolina to Oregon, surveying the working and living conditions of average Americans enduring a Great Depression. If Roosevelt could handle the swamps of Louisiana, surely the rain of Russia would be of no import. In 1957, more than a decade after the President's passing, Mrs. Roosevelt spent September traveling the Soviet Union; visiting Moscow, Leningrad, Zargorsk, Tashkent, Samarkand, Sochi, and Yalta. She frequented the famous Moscow circus and ballet. She toured hospitals, schools, factories, and farms. All to ease the tension between two superpowers embarking on a different kind of war. A Cold War of constant threat and military proliferation. In spite of the chaos clouding the minds of global citizens, it was Eleanor who caused a scandal, when she insisted on visiting an old friend; a detour from her strictly planned itinerary.
        When the former First Lady arrived at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, she couldn’t help but marvel at the massive red edifice. Legend has it that Tsar Nicholas II had the building painted red to remind student protesters, opposed to conscription, of the blood spilled by their forefathers during The Great War (an estimated 8 Million Russian soldiers were killed/wounded in WWI alone). Now, WWI was over. And a Second War too.

But when Roosevelt knocked on a door with the name 'Pavlichenko' across it, she found herself face to face with a friend. Russia’s deadliest woman. The “Guerilla Queen” of the Soviet Union, who killed over 300 Nazis, all on her own. A woman so notorious, newspapers around the world gave her the macabre moniker 'Lady Death.'
        'Lady Death' was born Lyudmila Pavlichenko, in 1916. She dreamed of becoming a teacher and loved academia. A tomboy through and through, Pavlichenko competed against men at various clubs and sporting events, giving them a run for their money when she outshone many at the local gun club. She earned the Voroshilov Sharpshooter badge and marksman certificate all before starting her studies at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (in modern-day Ukraine). And then, a new war commenced. Initially, Pavlichenko was told that nursing would be an adequate role. Showcasing her Voroshilov badge and marksman certificate, she ultimately joined the infantry as a sniper. In one month alone, Pavlichenko tallied over one hundred German kills. In the Siege of Sevastopol, lasting over 10 months, she killed more than 200 enemy combatants. By the time she was twenty-five years old, Pavlichenko had killed well over 309 combatants.

        Wounded after shrapnel from a mortar round struck her face, the military transferred Pavlichenko from battlefield to recruitment. Soviet leadership called on her to travel to Washington, D.C. to convince Congress to join the fight. It was critical that another front engage the Axis Powers, and the only nation in a position to do so was the USA. The United States formally declared war on Germany December 11, 1941, four days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, in the Hawai'i territory. To catalyze the war effort, a firebrand like Pavlichenko might provide the right amount of moxie to rally Americans to the cause. 

        Arriving late 1942, 'Lady Death' became the first Soviet citizen welcomed to the White House. There, she met Eleanor Roosevelt, forging a friendship that would endure for the rest of their lives. Eleanor would comment:

“There is something very charming to me about the young Russian woman, Junior Lieutenant Lyudmila Pavlichenko. She has suffered...and suffering something which is universal and binds all the world together regardless of language.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

        The First Lady was so stricken with 'Lady Death,' she asked the assassin to join her on a lecture tour across the nation, so that Pavlichenko might speak about her experiences. This proved a distinct challenge for the Soviet sniper, more comfortable on the battlefield than the stage. Pavlichenko was not only unable to speak English, she also possessed what newspapers described as a distinct 'lack of femininity.' In TIME magazine, Pavlichenko ridiculed the media for inquiring about trivial topics:

"I am amazed at the kinds of questions put to me by the women press correspondents. Don’t they know there is a war? They asked me silly questions
such as ‘Do I use powder and rouge and nail polish, and do I curl my hair?'" -Lyudmila Pavlichenko

        Another article criticized her fashion, chastising her for wearing an outfit making her appear fat with a long skirt (shin-length skirts were en vogue). What 'Lady Death' lacked in fashion sense, she more than made up for with wit. She found her voice. Standing before hundreds of spectators in Chicago, 'Lady Death' took every man to task and was met with applause:

“Gentlemen, I am 25 years old. I have killed 309 fascists by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?” - Lyudmila Pavlichenko

        Fifteen years later, Mrs. Roosevelt now found herself knocking on the door of 'Lady Death.' She was pleased to discover that her old friend had achieved her dream to become a teacher. At first, the Soviet Military had asked Pavlichenko to train the next batch of snipers; a request to which she obliged.

 After the war, however, she returned to her true passion to teach history. On October 10, 1974, Pavlichenko passed away after suffering a stroke. 'Lady Death' was 58 years old when death came knocking. The Soviet Union commemorated her with a postage stamp two years later. Woody Guthrie even wrote a song about her, called "Miss Pavilchenko." 

          Today, this military hero is remembered as the deadliest female sniper in history. More importantly, when her country needed help, Pavlichenko stepped up to offer her strength, focus, and intelligence. Whether as a historian, educator, voracious public speaker, sniper, or friend, 'Lady Death' proved to be an influential and often forgotten figure in every possible way.

          All of us at History At Play wish you a Happy and Historic Halloween.

Historically Yours,