Hedy Lamarr is an Austrian-American actress, born on November 9th, 1914. She is also known for her inventions and high contribution in the technology world. She has pioneered and led what would eventually form the basic uses for WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems used in today’s era. Lamarr was extremely talented and smart, even from a young age. However, her brilliant mind was often dismissed as her beauty took over, and was later thrusted into the world of acting at sixteen years old. Though she was succesful in this area and enjoyed it, it didn't stop her from being the succesful women she is today.
Her WorkWhen she wasn’t acting, Lamarr would spend her free time testing theories and experimenting with technology. Her first contrubution to the tech world started after meeting (and dating) businessman and pilot Howard Hughes in the early 1950's, where her interest for innovation continued to bloom. Her scientific mind contiued to be fuel whilst working with Huges. He noticed this, and fited her small scientific equipments to use. She started first started setting up and inventing table sets. She was later inspired to help support in building faster planes/models for the US military, and later went on to create an upgraded stoplight. Her innovative and scientific mind continued to grow with her, even during her line in creative work. In 1940, she (along with someone called George Antheil) came up with a new communication system to help the US military guide torpedoes to target their enemies. This 'new and secret comminication system' would later be known as 'Frequency Hopping', which transmitted and received radio waves to find their targets. In 1942, she sought out to patent her new invention and system which was accepted. Her patent (U.S. Patent No. 2,292,387) was later donated to the military and navy by her. However, it was later rejected and dissmed by them, since they believed it wouldn't be worthwhile or deemed important enough.
Awards & RecognitionIt wouldn't be until year later, in 1958, where her genius and inventions would finally recognised properly and began to get credit for her scientific work. Lamarr was awarded the Pinoeer Award (with Antheil) by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for her work on 'Frequency Hopping'. This later led her to become the FIRST women to received the Invention Conventio’s Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award in 1977. Lamarr later died in 2000, but was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, for her system (named ‘Frequency Hoping Technology’) in 2014. Though she never received any money for her inventions whilst she was alive, and wasn’t considered anything serious or more than her beauty and acting background by others till over a decade later, she is now a household name and well-resepcted wormen in the tech world. Due to her genius mind and determination to never give up, she was named 'The Mother of WiFi’. Her invention has continued to support creating systems and devices that we all use, love, and know today, such as: wireless devices, GPS and Bluetooth Systems. Without Lamarr, who knows where technology would be?