Celebrating Hedy Lamarr

The inventor behind the glamour

While Hollywood saw Lamarr as little more than a pretty face, she had far more to bring to the table. Off-screen, she had an enduring curiosity and interest in technology, specifically engineering and problem-solving. According to Lamarr, her dad would take her on walks as a child and talk to her about the mechanics of things, encouraging her to question how things work.

One of her most significant contributions was during World War II. Alarmed by the threat of German U-boats, Lamarr wanted to use her intelligence to help the Allied forces. After years of listening to military discussions during her marriage to Mandl, who was a powerful Austrian arms dealer, she’d learned and retained a lot of information about military weaponry and comms.

She collaborated with composer and fellow inventor George Antheil, and together they developed a revolutionary concept known as frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS). Their invention aimed to prevent enemy forces from jamming torpedo guidance systems by allowing signals to jump between different frequencies. This method was used to make communications more secure and resistant to interference.

In 1942, Lamarr and Antheil received a patent for their invention. However, at the time, the U.S. Navy dismissed the technology as impractical, and rather than implementing her ideas, they encouraged her to help the war effort by using her beauty to sell war bonds instead (*breaks fourth wall*). She agreed to do it and ending up raising millions, but, of course, her groundbreaking work was ignored for decades.

The legacy of her invention

Although her frequency-hopping idea was not used during World War II, it became the foundation for later tech advancements. Decades later, during the Cold War, the U.S. military revisited FHSS and adapted it for use in secure military communications. Even more significantly, her work laid the groundwork for modern technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.

It wasn't until the late 20th century that Lamarr finally began receiving recognition for her contributions to technology. In 1997, she was presented with the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award, a recognition of her fundamental role in shaping modern wireless comms. She also became the first woman to receive the Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award.

A life of innovation and resilience

Despite her massive career achievements, Lamarr’s later years were muddied by personal struggles. The pressures of Hollywood, multiple failed marriages, loss of eyesight and the industry’s refusal to take her seriously as anything beyond a bombshell took a toll. In her later years she largely retreated from the public eye, opting to live in quiet obscurity.

Nevertheless, her impact on both entertainment and modern tech is undeniable. Not only did she redefine the role of women in Hollywood, she also played a crucial part in developing a technology that now powers pretty much everything we do.

Today, we celebrate Hedy Lamarr is celebrated as a pioneering inventor whose work changed the world first, and a beautiful lady second. Her story serves as a poignant reminder that brains and beauty are not mutually exclusive, and that some of the greatest minds in history often go unrecognised in their time.

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