Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, better known as Hedy Lamarr (1924-2000), was an Austrian-American actress, film producer, and inventor. She was not only known as “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”, but invented frequency hopping spread spectrum technology that is used today in cell phones, Wi-Fi, CMDA, GPS, and Bluetooth, among others (Massie). Although she did not necessarily have formal education, her interest in technology was cultivated from her early life. Her childhood was filled with walks with her father, who explained the innerworkings of machines and technologies. Inventing quickly became a hobby for her, creating an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that we now know as Alka Seltzer (Marinoff).
Lamarr recognized a problem with radio-controlled torpedoes in the 1930’s, noting that their signals were easily jammed. As a result, she and composer George Antheil developed a player-piano-like mechanism that became a frequency-hopping spread spectrum (Godwin). During World War II, they patented the technology and donated it to the U.S. miltary, aiding in the defeat of the Axis powers, and thus Nazi Germany. Despite its success, The U.S. Navy did not adopt the technology immediately, and in fact, initially dismissed her. However, soon after the war concluded, the U.S. military widely adopted her invention throughout various communication gadgets. Today, we continue to benefit from her contributions through Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth, which use similar techniques (Marinoff).
Particularly for women, Lamarr’s career and accomplishments are especially meaningful. She teaches us that we do not have to be constrained by rigid boxes or societal norms. In her case, she is not just an actress that invents, or an inventor that acts; but rather a multi-faceted and multi-talented human being that made her mark on this world by leveraging her skills and unique perspective. Although many saw her beauty as a “curse” (Marinoff), and as a result underestimated her abilities, her unapologetic explorations in her passions led to historic contributions and technology that we continue to benefit from today.
Godwin, Mike. “Movie Legend Hedy Lamarr to Be Given Special Award at EFF’s Sixth Annual Pioneer Awards.” EFF: Movie Legend Hedy Lamarr to Be Given Special Award at EFF’s Sixth Annual Pioneer Awards, Electronic Frontier Foundation, 12 Mar. 1997, web.archive.org/web/20071016063043/w2.eff.org/awards/pioneer/1997.php.
Marinoff, Katie. “Featured Woman in STEM: Hedy Lamarr.” McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 20 July 2020, www.starhop.com/blog/2020/7/20/featured-woman-in-stem-hedy-lamarr.
Massie, Heather. “HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans, 2019, www.nationalww2museum.org/programs/hedy-life-inventions-hedy-lamarr.
Wow, I know her as an actress but thanks to you, now I’m even more impressed by her inventions.
I appreciate her amazing devotion to the world!