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.”
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
The Baltic Way: the longest unbroken human chain in history
On August 23, 1989, about 2 million people from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania formed a human chain that united all 3 countries to show the world their desire to escape the Soviet Union and the communism that brought only suffering and poverty. This power stretched 600 km.
The story of Bill Haast, who lived to be 100 despite his extensive snake venom injections
Bill Haast immunized himself by injecting snake venom into his blood for several years. He holds the Guinness World Record for surviving the most lethal snake bites, having been bitten over 172 times. Bill became known as "Snake Man" around the world and lived for over 100 years.
Knockers-up: waking up the Industrial Britain's Workers in 1900-1941
Before alarm clocks were invented, there was a profession called a knocker-up, which involved going from client to client and tapping on their windows (or banging on their doors) with long sticks until they were awake. It lasted into the 1920s.
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.
The true story Of The Radium Girls that change US labor laws
Hundreds of young women worked in clock factories during World War I, painting watch dials with luminous radium paint. The company lied about the risk of radiation, claiming there was no danger, which resulted in the death of the young women.
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.
Inside China’s Footbinding Tradition: The Painful Ritual of Lotus Shoes and Bound Feet
In China, Lotus shoes were used to bind women's feet to keep their feet small
Before Radar: How Giant Acoustic Mirrors Detected Enemy Aircraft in WWI and WWII
Long before radar revolutionized air defense, enormous acoustic mirrors and specialized sound locators stood as the first line of defense against enemy aircraft. Designed as giant “ears,” these structures amplified distant engine noises, allowing operators to detect incoming planes by sound alone. Dive into the intriguing world of these pioneering listening devices, their operation, limitations, and enduring legacy in military history.
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.
Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario
Super Mario is named after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was renting out a warehouse to Nintendo. After Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Segale did not evict them but gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and named their main character after him.
The Horrific story of Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction
Cleveland abduction victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry were forced to live in Ariel Castro's house of horrors for 10 years. He raped and beat them until they escaped in 2013.
The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program
In 1986, while doing a night shift at the hospital, Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse, was asked by an elderly patient to stay. She promised to be back after checking on her other patients, but by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away. Clarke became one of the key figures in launching No One Dies Alone, a program that allows volunteers to sit with terminal patients who have no one else.
The 1814 London beer flood
In 1814, there was a beer flood in London when a tank containing more than 300,000 gallons ruptured in which 8 people drowned.
Ancient Jericho: The First Walled City In History
The ancient city of Jericho is the world's oldest walled city, with evidence of stone fortifications dating back nearly 9000 years.
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."
Inside The Mysterious Death Of The Famed Gothic Writer Edgar Allan Poe
Hours before his death Edgar Allen Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore. He was incoherent, wearing another man’s clothes, and unable to explain how he got there. The cause of his death is an unsolved mystery.
The worst blizzard in recorded history: the 1972 Iran blizzard
The deadliest snowstorm ever recorded occurred in Iran in 1972. It lasted for a week, burying areas in 26 feet of snow and killing over 4,000 people, including the entire populations of three villages.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
Archaeologists Uncover 2,000-Year-Old Amazonian Cities Using Lidar Technology
Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient network of urban settlements once inhabited by the Upano people about 2,000 years ago. Using cutting-edge lidar technology, these discoveries reveal a highly organized society featuring sophisticated agricultural systems, drainage canals, and extensive road networks. This transformative find challenges long-held assumptions about ancient Amazonian societies and sheds light on a complex civilization thriving in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.
During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.
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.
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 Ferris wheel invented
In 1891, Chicago challenged engineers to create a structure to surpass the Eiffel Tower for the World's Columbian Exposition. George Washington Gale Ferris jr. responded with the original Ferris Wheel, a giant rotating structure elevating visitors above the city. This invention became an iconic attraction at the fair.
