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Biography
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A movie star and
an inventor? It seems impossible, yet one woman was both! Hedy Lamarr
was a glamorous and provocative actress and an "Edison" of her time!
Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Marie Kiesler in Vienna, Austria in
1913. In 1931, at age 17, she starred in her first feature film, "Money
on the Street." She soon married Fritz Mandl. Fritz's career, selling
weapons, exposed Hedwig to the functions and design of weapons. As
a result of this exposure, Hedwig envisioned a radio controlled torpedo.
Unfortunately, the signal for this idea could be jammed too easily.
When Hitler took over Germany, Hedy fled alone to London. While there,
Hedwig signed an "MGM Studios, Hollywood" contract with Louis B. Mayer
and she changed her name to Hedy Lamarr. In 1937, she migrated to
America. While working with composer, George Antheil she collaborated
with him on her radio controlled torpedo idea. By making the frequency
change randomly, they made it work. They received a patent for their
device, designed to protect U.S. radio-guided torpedoes from being
intercepted by the Nazis, in June 1941. Although it was not used during
the war and the patent expired, Sylvania then used a slightly modified
method in satellite technology. The new patent for this technology
was granted on August 11, 1942, under the name "Hedy Keisler Markey"
and George Antheil for a "Secret Communications System." Hedy Lamarr's
invention has revolutionized Satellite Science and Wireless Technology.
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Click
below to see photos of Hedy Lamarr...
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