Hedy Lamarr, A Hollywood actress who also a mathematician and inventor
I believe it’s accurate to claim that the internet has altered the course of history. Consider using the internet without Wi-Fi for a moment. Yes, we did back when there was “dial-up,” but it seems like a very long time ago. If some very smart people hadn’t used their intelligence and inventiveness, this amazing innovation might never have been made.
You may be familiar with well-known figures like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, but did you know that one remarkable woman made significant contributions to the growth of the internet and the tech industry? She also wasn’t a well-known scientist or Nobel Prize recipient. Hedy Lamarr was a well-known Hollywood actress. The actress also led a very interesting life, contributing to the development of one of history’s most significant inventions.
Who Was This Famous Hollywood Actress and her inventions?
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress who also worked as an inventor on the side. She was renowned for her gorgeous beauty and superb acting abilities, but she was in no way just a lovely face. The actress was a great person as well. Now who was this famous Hollywood actress?
Like so many Hollywood celebrities, Lamarr made the decision to change her name in order to fit the “mould” of Hollywood. She was Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler at birth. Since many of the celebrities at the time were of European descent and the general people didn’t really like names with German roots, it was common for stars to go by new names. Lamarr was born in the lovely city of Vienna, Austria, in 1914.
Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-born actress most renowned for her seductive performances in the 1930s and 1940s, struggled with her beautiful features throughout her life. She served as the model for the iconic cartoon beauties Snow White and Catwoman thanks to her unrivaled beauty, and in the 1940s, more patients seeking plastic surgery wanted her profile than any other. She would frequently assert that aesthetics weren’t important to her, yet later in life, she herself underwent repeated plastic surgery. She could not bear to lose her youthful attractiveness.
A recent addition to the National Portrait Gallery honoring the actress beautifully captures that beauty. Conspiratori, her World War II picture, was promoted with this Italian poster (The Conspirators). Her appearance embodies the appeal that made her the “most beautiful lady in the world.”
But Hedy Lamarr was much more than just her lovely dark hair, transparent fair complexion, and brilliant green eyes. She was a brilliant innovator who laid the seed for some of today’s most pervasive technology, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, cordless phones, and cell phones. Her innovations came from a convoluted existence that was full of ambiguities and elusive realities and was not like the movie star she appeared to be.
When Lamarr took apart and put back together a music box at the age of 5, she sparked an interest in inventing that she never lost. She collaborated on her inventions with a strange composer named George Antheil. They collaborated primarily behind closed doors, and because Lamarr’s autobiography, which was ghostwritten, omits any mention of her innovations, more information about how she approached her job is woefully lacking. Carmelo “Nino” Amarena, an inventor, recalls conversing with Lamarr in 1997. Amarena remarked, “We conversed like two engineers working on a hot project. I always felt like I was speaking to a fellow innovator rather than a movie star.
In the early stages of World War II, Lamarr made a significant discovery while working on a device to prevent opposing ships from jamming torpedo guidance signals. Nobody knows what inspired the concept, but Antheil acknowledged that Lamarr’s design was used as the basis for his practical model. They devised a method for the radio guidance transmitter and torpedo’s receiver to switch frequencies at the same time, rendering it difficult for the adversary to track and intercept a message before it changed frequencies. This strategy was dubbed “frequency hopping.”
But when Lamarr and Antheil presented their invention to the United States Navy engineers rejected it because they felt it was too complicated. A contractor hired by the Navy to develop a sonobuoy that could be thrown into the water from an airplane to detect submarines was given Lamarr’s idea in the middle of the 1950s, when lightweight transistors were becoming more readily available. Over time, that contractor and others have used Lamarr’s design as a launching pad for more ambitious concepts. Despite the fact that Lamarr and Antheil’s patent didn’t expire until 1959, they were never paid for the use of their idea. All American ships on a blockade line around Cuba in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 were armed with torpedoes that were guided by a “frequency-hopping” mechanism.
Lamarr, who was raised in Vienna in an assimilated Jewish family, would eventually conceal her heritage, even to her own kids. She often expressed contempt for the Nazis, some of whom had dined at her table when she was married to an Austrian munitions manufacturer, Fritz Mandl, according to Antheil’s memoir, Bad Boy of Music, who claims that she initiated their effort to develop weapons for the Allies because “she did not feel comfortable sitting there in Hollywood and making lots of money when things were in such a state.” She recalled that the Germans and other prospective buyers had discussed secret weaponry at her house, however it is not known if she had heard these discussions. Benito Mussolini, the head of the Italian Fascist movement, was one among those who entered her house.
She later claimed that Adolf Hitler had dinner at her home, but her biographers do not accept this claim because she and her husband were both Jews, and as a result, lower-ranking Nazis visited them at home rather than meeting in a more open location. She claimed that her spouse frequently sought her advice on new weapons, and it’s probable that their discussions inspired her to start designing her own guns. Some have claimed that she plagiarized Mandl or one of his guests by using the concept of “frequency hopping,” but she has denied this and no German weapons have ever employed the concept.
Lamarr passed away in January 2000 at the age of 85, but even as she approached death, she continued to create items, including a bright dog collar, upgrades for the Concorde jet, and a new style of stoplight. She would be happy with the legacy of her “frequency hopping” idea, according to her son Anthony Loder, who said this after her passing: “She would love to be remembered as someone who contributed to the well-being of humankind.”
The true story of Annie Oakley, legendary sharpshooter
Anne Oakley was such a good shooter that she could split a playing card help edge-on, hit dimes thrown into the air, shoot cigarette from her husband's lips, and pierce a playing card thrown into the air before it hit the ground.
Nuclear bomb accidentally dropped on North Carolina in 196
4 January 1961: The 4241st Strategic Wing's Boeing B-52G-95-BW Stratofortress, serial number 58-0187, was on a 24-hour airborne alert mission off the United States' Atlantic Coast.
What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?
Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.
Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today
We are all aware that medicine has advanced dramatically over the last fifty years. There are several modern medical approaches available today, but this was not always the case. However, the past of medicine is a dark one. Medical leeches, lobotomy, vascular surgery, cranial stenosis, and even electroshock therapy are all options. These are only a couple of the cruel healing techniques that are still in use today.
Quaker Oats Fed Children with Radioactive Oatmeal
In the 1940s and 1950s, Quaker Oats and MIT conducted experiments on radioactive iron and calcium-containing cereal. The diet was part of a study to see if the nutrients in Quaker oatmeal traveled throughout the body. In January 1998, a $1.85 million settlement was reached for 30 victims who came forward.
10 world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history
Volcanic eruptions can devastate cities, change the world's atmosphere, and devastate economic systems. They can create molten lava rivers, mudslides, suffocating ash, and poisonous gases that cause chaos around the world for years. A volcanic explosion's effects can be massive, from its size to its death toll to its economic cost. Here is ten world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history.
Philippines, the largest supplier of Nurses in the World
Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of nurses, supplying roughly 25% of all overseas nurses worldwide.
Martin Couney, Saved Thousands of Premature Babies Wasn’t a Doctor at All
Martin Couney never qualified as a medical doctor. However, in the 1900s, he saved thousands of premature babies by exhibiting them in incubators at his Coney Island sideshow. Over the course of his career, he is said to have saved about 6,500 babies that had previously been written off by mainstream medicine.
Robert Odlum, the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge
The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver who "wanted to demonstrate that people did not die simply by falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net." He proved himself correct by safely falling 135 feet through the air and dying only when he hit the water.
Top 10 Greatest and shocking Archaeological Discoveries of All Time
While we're all locked at home, there's no better way to escape to another time and place than to learn about amazing archeological sites and discoveries from around the world. Here are the 10 greatest and shocking archaeological discoveries —and don't be shocked if they inspire future trip plans whenever it's safe to do so again.
Ea-Nasir: world's oldest written customer complaint
This clay tablet, written in cuneiform, is the oldest known written customer complaint about the delivery of poor quality copper ingots. Originally from ancient Babylon, the tablet dates back to 1750 BCE, and it was written by a customer named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-Nasir. It is currently housed in the British Museum.
Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins
Poto and Cabengo, as the two girls called each other, communicated in their own language. The twins were ignored by their parents and secluded from the outside world because their father felt they were developmentally retarded, and their unique language evolved as a result of that neglect.
Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller
Nathan "Nearest" Green was an African-American head stiller who is now more frequently referred to as a master distiller. He was renowned for imparting his distilling knowledge to Jack Daniel, the creator of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distiller, after Jack Daniel was freed from slavery following the American Civil War.
How a Total Lunar Eclipse Saved Christopher Columbus in 1504
In 1504, Christopher Columbus was stranded in Jamaica with natives who refused to give him food. But he knew the date and time of an upcoming lunar eclipse. So he told the natives that his gods were angry at their treatment of him, and would provide a clear sign. Once the eclipse started, the natives raced to give him food and begged for mercy.
Keith Sapsford: The Story of 14-Year-Old Stowaway
The final image of 14-year-old Australian Keith Sapsford, who aspired to travel the world. In February 1970, he sneaked into the wheel-well of a plane flying from Sydney to Tokyo. It opened mid-air & fell out. When a photographer was testing a new lens, he captured this moment on film and was surprised when it developed.
Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.
Underground Railroad to Mexico freed thousands of slaves in 1829
Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. Slaves were escaping to Mexico, and slaveholders in the US were aware of this. The US attempted to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, which would have required Mexico to send back escaped slaves to the US. But, Mexico refused, arguing that slaves were free as soon as they set foot on Mexican soil.
Story of Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to run in Boston Marathon
Before women were allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer participated. A race official attempted to forcefully remove her from the race in 1967, but her boyfriend pushed him down. She was the first female finisher who had a numbered entry in the race.
Why was the Eiffel Tower almost demolished
The Eiffel Tower was intended to be a temporary structure for the World's Fair in 1889, but it was nearly dismantled and sold for scrap metal. It was saved because of its potential use as a radio antenna, and it now serves as a tourist attraction as well as a working broadcast tower.
Irena Sendler: woman who rescued Jews during holocaust
Irene Sendler was the Zegota resistance group's head of the children's department. She risked her life to smuggle children out of the Warsaw ghetto, place them with Polish families or orphanages, give each child a new identity, and keep records so that they could be returned to their families. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested and sentenced her to death, but she was rescued by Zegota.
Graves holding hands over wall, A Catholic woman and her Protestant husband grave
A protestant man and a Catholic woman who weren't allowed from being buried together in a graveyard in 19th-century Holland turned their graves into a monument showing them holding hands across the wall separating them.
Shizo Kanakuri’s 1912 Olympic Marathon Finished 54 Years
At the 1912 Olympics, a marathon runner quit and went home to Japan without telling officials and was considered a missing person in Sweden for 50 years. In 1966, he was invited to complete the marathon. His time: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.379 seconds.
The true story of Josephine Myrtle Corbin, the lady born with four legs and two private parts
Josephine Myrtle Corbin, an American sideshow performer born in 1868, had a rare condition known as dipygus, which caused her to have four legs, each smaller inner leg paired with one of her outer legs. Corbin joined the sideshow circuit, captivating audiences as the "Four-Legged Girl from Texas."
D.B. Cooper: Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a $200,000
On November 22, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727, drank a whisky, smoked a fag, and then jumped out of the plane with $200,000. He was never again seen.
History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill
