Was James Bond based on a real person? Meet the spies, heroes, and eccentrics who helped inspire Ian Fleming's iconic 007-then find out why none of them quite fit the tux.
________________________________________
Full Description:
What if James Bond wasn't just fiction? In this episode of An Ounce, we dive into the real lives of the men believed to have inspired 007-from the Serbian double agent who gambled with Nazis, to the Canadian mastermind who ran a spy ring out of Manhattan.
Meet Duško Popov, Patrick Dalzel-Job, William Stephenson, Sidney Reilly… and yes, even Ian Fleming himself. Each brought something to the Bond mythos-but not one of them is Bond. Discover how this famous spy was stitched together like a bespoke Frankenstein in a tux, with just the right mix of danger, elegance, and legend.
________________________________________
🔍 Featured Sources:
• Duško Popov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du%C5%A1ko_Popov
• Patrick Dalzel-Job: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Dalzel-Job
• William Stephenson: https://intrepid-society.org/james-bond-007-vs-william-stephenson
• Sidney Reilly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Reilly
• Ian Fleming biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming
• Origins of the name James Bond: https://as.com/meristation/cine/el-primer-james-bond-es-un-ornitologo-de-filadelfia-ian-fleming-uso-su-nombre-para-crear-a-007-y-envio-esta-carta-a-su-mujer-n/
________________________________________
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:04 – Dusko Popov
02:42 – Patrick Dalzel-Job
04:04 – William Stephenson
05:08 – Sidney Reilly
06:10 – Ian Fleming
07:11 – So, Who Is James Bond?
07:59 – An Ounce
________________________________________
🎥 You Might Also Like:
• Find out The Truth Behind History's Biggest Myths! https://youtu.be/JpHTMQV-XPQ
• The Most Dangerous Tree in the World – How a DMZ Border Dispute Turned Deadly https://youtu.be/lAYCcG8Xuqo
• You've Been Lied To! The Real Story of the Mandela Effect https://youtu.be/IDfeiYgdD5Q
________________________________________
🎯 Subscribe to An Ounce for smart, short, surprising stories from history.
https://www.youtube.com/@AnOuncePodcast
________________________________________
Music: High Noon by Track Tribe, Stick the Landing by Everet Almond, Final Boss by Evening Telecast, Shady Guy by Surf Ninja 3 via YouTube Audio Library
Images: Via subscription through iStock & Getty, and other Public Domain images via Wikimedia Commons; and AI as indicated in video.

10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube