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Hedy Lamarr -

Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, was born in Vienna, Austria in 1914. She was known for her incredible acting skills and was once dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world.

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More than a pretty face -

But Lamarr was more than just a pretty face. A great deal of the technology we know today, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS, among others, is largely due to her incredible invention.

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Friedrich Mandl -

Lamarr married her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, in 1933. She was 18 years old at the time and he was 33. Mandl was a wealthy fascist arms dealer with ties to the regime of Italian dictator Mussolini (pictured) and Hitler's Nazi Germany.

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Exposure to the world of war -

Lamarr’s Jewish family did not approve of the marriage due to Mandl’s political links, but they married anyway. Her exposure to the world of arms and weaponry gave her great insight that would later prove to change the course of technology.

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Lamarr listened at dinner parties -

Mandl hosted many dinners and parties with those involved in the heinous crimes of the era. Lamarr, commanded to stay silent by her husband, often accompanied Mandl to his events, listening intently to their conversations pertaining to military technology.

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Lamarr flees -

She could no longer reconcile Mandl’s career and political ideology with her own life and dreams. She relocated to London and later made her way to the United States to continue her extraordinary acting career.

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Curious mind -

Skipping Hollywood parties for her love of learning, Lamarr sought to acquire more knowledge. Despite not having any technical education, she possessed a number of engineering books and constantly sought to come up with a new invention.

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Inventor -

While her approach was often practical, in the sense that she reflected on simple solutions to common problems, her most famous invention remains relevant decades later.

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Lamarr sought to end the war -

By 1940, the Nazi regime had already annexed Lamarr’s native Austria. She was deeply disturbed by the political developments throughout Europe and was determined to contribute to the efforts to end the war.

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George Antheil -

It was around this time that Lamarr met composer George Antheil. Antheil had his own experience with the war, having lost a brother early on.

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German U-boats -

German U-boat submarines were causing devastation in the Atlantic Ocean, as Nazi Germany continued to make significant advancements in their raging war efforts.

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British torpedoes -

The British resistance was struggling to adequately target Nazi submarines with torpedoes as the German U-boats were successfully able to intercept torpedo signals.

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British frustrated -

This frustrating tactic left the British scrambling in an attempt to circumvent the Germans' interceptions. This issue became the focus of Lamarr and Antheil, two artists with curious minds, desiring to contribute toward the end of the war.

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Torpedo interception -

Lamarr reflected a great deal about the knowledge she acquired during Mandl’s dinner parties. Combined with Antheil’s experience as an inspector of ammunition at a US armory, the two discussed at length the issue of torpedo interception.

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Synchronization -

Lamarr lacked the technical knowledge to put her idea of synchronization to the test, a type of radio-controlled torpedo. But that’s where Antheil came into play.

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Antheil's 16 pianos -

In preparation for a ballet he sought to compose years before, Antheil had attempted to synchronize 16 pianos. His pianos were all fed the same piano rolls that determined which keys were played and when.

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Piano -

It was the piano that uncovered their solution. They often played this game, where one of them would start playing the piano, waiting for the other to recognize the tune and join in.

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Unexpected twist -

That’s when they realized that if the other person does not recognize the tune, they won’t be able to join in, as they don’t know what’s coming next.

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Torpedo interception -

What did this mean for their quest to find a solution to torpedo interception? Well, while the Germans were able to intercept a single radio frequency, they wouldn’t be able to jam frequencies that were constantly changing.

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Inspired by the 16 pianos -

Inspired by Antheil’s attempt at synchronizing 16 pianos, they thought about how they could apply a similar methodology to synchronize the communication between a torpedo and its controller, which was typically located on a nearby ship.

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Frequency hopping -

They came up with a device that fit in the palm of one’s hand. This device allowed for a signal to hop over a series of frequencies, hence the name  "frequency hopping."

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Possibility of jamming low -

Instead of traveling over a single wavelength, the signal was constantly changing, making the possibility of jamming very low, as the dynamic change of frequencies made interference nearly impossible.

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Technology submitted to Navy -

They patented the technology in 1942 and the pair eagerly submitted the technology to the United States Navy, hoping to contribute to the end of the war.

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Branded as spies -

Although this technology could have saved many lives, the US Navy branded Lamarr and Antheil as spies. Because Lamarr hailed from Austria and Antheil had German roots, the US Navy revoked their patent and classified the technology as “top secret.”

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War bonds -

Instead, the US government suggested that Lamarr put her face to use, asking her to attend fundraising events to sell war bonds on behalf of the cause. Despite the painful rejection, she did just that and raised millions of dollars through those events.

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Technology applied -

Nearly two decades later, the Navy recognized the worth of the technology and applied it during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Car phones -

By the 1970s, the technology was being used to enable car phones. By the 1990s, the technology was fundamental to establishing secure radio communications, becoming a standard required by the US Federal Communications Commission.

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Engineers identify Lamarr as inventor -

In was only 50 years after her invention, with Antheil already long gone, that a group of engineers understood that the name listed on the patent, “Hedwig Kiesler Mackway,” was that of famed actress Hedy Lamarr.

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Recognition -

Lamarr, denying any desire to receive funds for her invention, was livid that she never received credit for her invention. She demanded recognition and in the 1990s, she received an award for her work. Both she and Antheil were inducted into the National Inventors Hall posthumously in 2014.

Sources: (History.com) (Military.com) (Hidden Brain)

See also: Inventors who died because of their inventions

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