The Woman That Invented Wi-Fi
Courtesy Pinterest
I just watched a good video about the incredibly talented and beautiful actress Hedy Lamarr. Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Austria, Hedy Lamarr came to America after Hitler began his rise to power in the 1930's. She had a brief film career in Europe that almost ended before it began when she appeared nude in the movie Ecstasy. While in Austria she married Fritz Mandel, an ammunition manufacturer who supplied the Fascist regimes of Mussolini and Hitler with arms.
During WWII, Hedy was active in supporting the US troops through her work with the Hollywood Canteen, entertaining servicemen and personally sold over $25 Million in War Bonds. However, her contributions went far beyond her beauty... She was brilliant as well. She developed a theory about a radio controlled guidance system for controlling torpedoes. She enlisted the help of composer George Antheil... Antheil had created a method for making 16 pianos play synchronistically (the same song). Working together they invented Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping- a method of controlling torpedoes by two piano rolls playing simultaneously... one in the torpedo, and one on board ship. Although rejected by the US Navy, the technology was later picked up by Silicone Valley and became the foundation for cell phones, wi-fi, CDMA and Bluetooth, making her a very wealthy women in her 80's.
Both she and George Antheil were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she was incredibly intelligent as well. She studied aerodynamics by watching birds and gave Howard Hughes sketches that eventually reduced the drag coefficient in airplane wings. She also developed technology that improved traffic signals. She died in 2000 at age 85 and to say that her beauty was only surpassed by her intellect is really saying something.
A very interesting story, one of those I had no clue of before. I love those a bit less know historical facts. Thanks for this one!
And because it's so interesting and the beautiful face of Hedy will for sure embellish my wall, I took it with me. :)
Thanks for sharing. My introduction to Hedy Lamarr came from a comic book about women in science. Dignifying Science it was called. Here's a Google link to that book: https://g.co/kgs/4md655
Thanks!
What a talented, beautiful woman. Truly an inspiration... With such smarts, I can't help but feel she would've been a bit wasted if she had only done films.
Indeed... She had the misfortune of living in an era when people, Hollywood in particular, only wanted pretty faces. Howard Hughes remarked that he would have set her up with a laboratory and all the money and assistance she wanted if she would quit show business and work for him. He was one of the few that recognized her brilliance.
Lucky somebody did!
Imagine a woman with this talent and beauty being even listened to seriously back in that time period! She deserves many accolades! This is a great post...one of the best I have read on Steemit.......and I have read MANY.
Resteemed.
Thank you... actually, she wasn't. George Antheil went to negotiate with the government who rejected the idea until after the Bay of Pigs in 62.
I visited her grave in Vienna. She is buried in a plot amongst other notables, many with crazy grave memorials.
It seems that I remember her family being there as well.
She was really a beautiful and talented woman. Some years ago I watched a docu movie about the life of some actresses in that period, it was really an hard time.
I watched the movie (Ecstasy) that almost ruined her career it was really tame by today's standards. She is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen- incredible eyes! I would loved to have found someone like her brilliant and beautiful!
An amazing story. I had read about Hedy Lamarr before. She breaks the stereotype of women in the 50's. This is a well written post, I will resteem it.
Wow...... go girl
Looks like we remembered the wrong person:
Ironically, the ad was all about famous inventions whose inventor we have forgotten...