What happened to Mata Hari's head?
Mata Hari’s extraordinary life began in the Netherlands in August 1876. In 1906, this controversial woman (born Margaretha Zelle) had divorced her husband. In an attempt to find income for her family, she took up exotic dancing in Paris under the stage name of‘Mata Hari’, meaning ‘the Rising Sun’ in Malay.
Mata Hari became a huge success in Paris and other cities of Europe. It was rumoured that many