This is real. This happened.

In addition to being the U.S. military's electronic listening post, the National Security Agency also publishes something called the "Cryptologic Almanac," an academic journal of code-breaking.

An undated aerial handout photo shows the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters building in Fort Meade, Maryland.

Handout . / Reuters / Reuters

Aside from articles on the work of the NSA, the journal also posts some slightly...weirder bits of history. Like this one, released in 2011 about "Uncle Ned."

Via nsa.gov

Who was "Uncle Ned," you ask? Well, he was a clown. A literal, face-paint wearing clown.

20th Century Fox Television / Via tinypic.com

Here's the unclassified version of the story, as told by the NSA.

Via nsa.gov

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