ɪn ˈændɹuː ænd ɡoːɹdˈiːvskiz hˈɪstɚɹi ʌvðə kˌeɪdʒˌiːbˈiː ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti, bˈɪm bˈɑːm ɪz aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪd æz ɐn ˌɪndᵻvˈɪdʒuːəl nˌɑːɾə pˈɛɹ, hˌuː hɐdbɪn ʃˈɑːt æt baɪ tʃˈɛkə ˈɑːpɚɹətˌɪvz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ɐ pɚfˈoːɹməns ɪn mˈɑːskoʊ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪtiːn.
In Andrew and Gordievsky's history of the KGB in 1990, Bim Bom is identified as an individual (not a pair), who had been shot at by Cheka operatives during a performance in Moscow in 1918.