# From Showman to Balloon Spy: The Man Who Changed How Wars Were Fought

An episode of [No One Saw It Coming](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1805005780), 6 Oct 2025, 26 min.

Audio: https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/dq/Z/p1.mp3

He soared into the sky in a balloon to prove a scientific theory and landed in the world of espionage. This is a story about a man with a fabulous moustache who called himself Professor, who was accused of being the devil in the American Civil War and ended up becoming a spy in a big balloon, triggering the creation of the US Air Force. Yes, really. Matt Bevan from ABC's If You’re Listening tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) about the early days of aerial espionage, and how he stumbled down a rabbit hole to find this story in the first place. Binge all the episodes of No One Saw It Coming now on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch: Got a story for us? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at noonesawitcoming@abc.net.au

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