Imagine a world without Bluetooth, GPS, or Wi-Fi. For the older generation, such a feat may not sound as scary as it may seem. However, without these, other technological advances may not be possible or as remarkable as they are now. The same could be said for the precursor of such innovations. Thanks to an actress during the 1930s, Hedy Lamarr, we enjoy multiple ways to connect today.
The actress
Born in 1914 as Hedwig Eva Kiesler in Vienna, Austria, Lamarr was an American actress credited for the technology that became the basis for the invention of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. Her creative genius started at a very young age when her father influenced and exposed her to the world of machines.
An actress at par and a Scientist too:
Hedy Lamarr was a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and 1950s, and she was considered "the most beautiful woman in the world" during her time. She began her acting career in Austria in the early 30s and during this period she got married to… pic.twitter.com/YsSfAtBJkt
— VisionaryVoid (@VisionaryVoid) April 9, 2024
Meanwhile, her mother exposed Lamarr to the arts, particularly music and dancing. In the old days, it was often said that women were better seen than heard. Such is the case with Lamarr, who was pushed into the limelight at age 16 when she starred in her first film. Her technological creativity had to take a backseat when she became a big star and entered Hollywood.
The inventor
Lamarr’s fame led her to meet businessman and pilot Howard Hughes. An inventor himself, he gave Lamarr a small set of equipment she could use between takes to work on her inventions. Hughes also took Lamarr to his airplane factories, where she learned the makings of an aircraft. With a support system and resources, she created innovations that impressed her peers.
Her most notable creation was during World War II when she and her friend, George Antheil, developed a unique communication system. It was intended to help the US naval torpedoes find their target. This is through “frequency hopping,” or switching frequencies during radio transmission, so the Nazis cannot detect it. While they received a patent for their innovation, it wasn’t utilized by the Navy at the time. It would be until 1962 that their Frequency Hopping Communication System, also often referred to as the Secret Communication System, would be used in military communications during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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Her legacy
Although the patent expired before Lamarr could earn a penny from it, the Electronic Frontier Foundation awarded her and Antheil the Pioneer Award in 1997. She also became the first woman to receive the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award, given to people who made significant contributions to art, science, or business.
It was in 2014 that she, along with Antheil, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Lamarr died in 2000 and could not see this though. Her contributions to the technological world were credited a little too late. Most would argue that it is attributable to the fact that she was credited more as a beautiful actress than a brilliant inventor. It could also be because people have yet to see the full potential of her invention at the time. Given the little information about the technology back then, it was hard to see the full picture yet.
Women in tech and innovation
Although we have progressed, this notion of seeing women as nothing but pretty things to look at still rears its ugly head at times. In fact, over the years, the pay gap between men and women has not significantly decreased. Despite having the same job and qualifications, women earn less than men. However, things are slowly improving, and society is becoming more inclusive than before, but things still need to improve even more. Opportunities are also becoming widely available to people of all races, genders, and ages. This is also one of the reasons why Lamarr is being celebrated today.
Over the years, Lamarr’s innovation has been beneficial in giving birth to other communication technology breakthroughs, such as GPS, the Internet, Wi-Fi, and satellite communication systems. Due to her contribution to technology, Lamarr is today dubbed “the mother of Wi-Fi” by many.
YouTube: Hedy Lamarr – Mother of Wifi
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Photo credit: The feature image was published by the Los Angeles Times and was sourced from Wikimedia Commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The vintage photo source has been edited and colorized digitally.
Source: Colleen Cheslak (National Women’s History Museum) / Biography / National Inventors Hall of Fame / Statista
