In our world of 24-hour social media and information it seems like there aren't many secrets left. Maybe that's why uncovering the covert world of Cold War spies is so appealing today. There are entire museums dedicated to the profession of secrets and with good reason. Real life spy gadgets are still amazing today. 

The Bulgarian Umbrella

This has been a spy movie trope for years (and even in the recent TV show The Americans). There really were umbrellas that had syringes for tips. Famously, the Bulgarian dissident Gregory Markov was murdered this way in 1978 when a mysterious man with an umbrella pricked his thigh with an umbrella and injected him with ricin. 

Bugging Devices

Maybe the most famous spy film device is the wireless listening tool known as a "bug". Not surprisingly, these were totally real. The first known detection of a bug was in 1952 in the American Embassy in London. A British radio enthusiast just happened to pick up a conversation between two Americans. It was determined that there was a microphone hidden in a state seal of the ambassadors' office (that's an actual picture above). 

Glove Guns

We aren't sure why a spy needed a glove gun. Maybe they were undercover as a gardener? But we are glad such a contraption was created to conceal a tiny Walther PPK pistol. 

Dead Drops

Top secret messages, money and microfiom were all passed around behind enemy lines via dead drops. This meant that everyday items like a brick or a bolt or a rat were hollowed out. 

These items would be covertly left at a pre-planned spot and picked up by another spy. 

This way two spies would never be seen together and risk getting caught. Some spies traded information like this and may have never met in real life. 

Lipstick Gun

Yep! A single-shot gun concealed in a lipstick case. Amusingly, this was known as "The Kiss of Death". Tiny single-shot guns were also hidden in pens, pipes, and flashlights by the KGB during the Cold War. 

Teeny Tiny Cameras

Back before everyone had a mini-camera in their phone, film cameras had to be hidden by the CIA, KGB, MI6 and other clandestine agencies in everything from ties, to wallets, rings, trenchcoats and more. 

Radio Shoes

Looks like it is straight out of Get Smart, but in the 1960s KGB agents were frequently issued a pair of shoes with a radio transmitter, battery and microphone concealed in the heel. 

Secret Envelope Openers

When CIA agents needed to get a letter from an envelope without opening it they were issued one of these puppies. Agents would insert this rod in the little gap of an envelope and wind the paper around it and simply slip the note out undetected.