Hedy Lamarr: The Mother of Wi-Fi

Painting by Denise Loder-DeLuca (Image Source: Hedy Lamarr’s Official Website)

Hedy Lamarr, known as "the world's most beautiful woman" and a prominent figure in Hollywood's golden age, has a remarkable hidden story behind her iconic beauty. Beyond the glitz and glamour, Hedy was a genius inventor whose contributions laid the foundation for modern wireless technologies like the invention of Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. In this blog, we explore the amazing inventions of Hedy Lamarr and her journey from Hollywood stardom to groundbreaking inventions.

Early Life And Education

Hedy was born in a well-off Jewish family in Vienna, Australia, on November 9th, 1914. Being an only child, she received great attention from her parents. Her father, a well-read and curious man, would often take her for long walks and discuss the inner workings of different machines with her. These meaningful conversations guided Hedy’s thinking, and at the age of just five, she took apart her music box and then reassembled it to understand how the machine operated. She was privately tutored from age four, and although she received no formal training, she was mainly self-taught by fiddling with various amazing ideas. However, Hedy’s genius mind was ignored, and her beauty took centre stage at 16 when she met director Max Reinhardt, who introduced her to the film industry. Hedy never went to college but studied acting in Berlin and performed her first small film role in 1930.

Hollywood Career

Hedy Lamarr shakes hands with a soldier at the Hollywood Canteen on Nov. 17, 1942, where the actress was a USO volunteer (Image Source The Ledger)

Although Hedy started her film career, it wasn’t until 1932 that her name gained recognition as an actress for her role in a controversial film named Ecstasy in 1933. Her fortune changed when she met Louis B. Mayer of MGM Studios in London. This meeting helped her step into Hollywood. Hedy captivated American audiences with her grace, beauty, and distinctive accent, and she became the heartthrob of millions. During this time, she became acquainted with notable figures like American pilot Howard Hughes, who significantly fueled her interest in innovation and science.

Hollywood to Discovery of Bluetooth & WiFi

Patent for the frequency hopping system (Image Source: interlude.hk)

Hedy’s association with Howard Hughes sparked her interest in innovation during her time in Hollywood. As an American aerospace engineer, businessman, and investor, Howard could provide her with equipment, allowing her to work on inventions between takes on sets. Inspired by Howard’s goal of creating faster planes for the U.S. military, Hedy used her inventive mind to design a new wing for planes, combining features from the fastest-living fish and birds. In 1940, Hedy met George Antheil, a fellow inventive spirit. George was the first American to write an opera that premiered at a major European house, and along with that, he was an expert in making machines communicate with one another. Concerned about the war, they collaborated on a groundbreaking communication system to guide torpedoes by using "frequency hopping" among radio waves. This groundbreaking discovery made an impact far beyond the field of military communications. This frequency-hopping spread spectrum is used in today’s technology and has set the foundation for WiFi and Bluetooth.

Tributes and Achievements

Actress Hedy Lamarr on the witness stand next to her attorney, Jordan Wank, during her shoplifting trial. Photograph dated April 25, 1966. (Image Source: tessa2.lapl.org)

Hedy Lamarr’s inventions went largely unrecognized during her acting career. However, in her later years, she received numerous recognition. In 1997, the Electronic Frontier Foundation awarded Hedy with the Pioneer Award. In the same year, she also received the  Invention Convention's Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award and became the first-ever woman to receive this award.  Her work led to her induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014, recognizing her contribution to the development of frequency-hopping technology, eventually leading to Wi-Fi’s invention.

Although Hedy died in 2000 at 85, her accomplishments continue to be celebrated. She knew the power of technology and once mentioned, “Films have a certain place in a certain period. Technology is forever”. Initially, her beauty overshadowed her wisdom, and the world refused to take her seriously as an inventor, but today, we recognize the incredible inventions of Hedy, especially in wireless communication, which may allow you to read this blog on your phone or computer right now. Hedy inspires many and is a true example of beauty with brains. Her life is a guiding light, especially for women and proof that different roles in life are not gender specific and anything is possible if you have the passion for it; like Hedy once said, ‘The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion.’

In the documentary “Bombshell,” the filmmaker Alexandra Dean presents a portrait of a brilliant woman undone by the world’s fixation on her famous face. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamar Story