WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth are things we all rely on everyday and have become a huge part of our lives.
But there is a little-known history about the origins of the systems and it all stems back to a glitzy place in California.
No, we’re not talking about Silicon Valley - instead it’s Hollywood and, more specifically, a Hollywood actress who regularly appeared on the silver screen in the 1930s and 1940s.
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Hedy Lamarr was born in Austria but made it big after moving to Los Angeles where she became famed for her femme fatale roles.
The film star’s appearances in Oscar-nominated movies such as Algiers (1939) and Samson and Delilah (1949) confirmed her ranking as one of the most iconic actresses in Hollywood.
However, that wasn’t where Lamarr’s talents ended. Off-screen, she was actually an accomplished inventor.
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With no formal training, she was mostly self-taught, and would even use her free time in between takes on set to draft up new inventions.
These included things like an improved traffic light and a tablet that would create a flavored drink when dissolved into water.
One particular invention would become a vital stepping stone in the development of today’s WiFi.
How did Hedy Lamarr pave the way for WiFi?
During World War II, Lamarr along with her friend, composer and pianist George Antheil, developed a method to stop enemies from jamming a radio frequency by frequency hopping.
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In previous work, Antheil had tried note-hopping by using multiple synchronized player pianos, and the pair realized the same mechanism could be implemented on a much smaller scale for radio frequencies.
The invention was patented in 1942 under Lamarr’s legal name, Hedwig Kiesler Markey.
A proposal to use the mechanism was initially rejected by the Navy but used decades later during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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Lamarr’s invention later formed the basis for wireless communication technology, paving the way for things like WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communications.
Known for being a glamorous celebrity, Lamarr also used her star power to sell war bonds during World War II.
She even once offered to kiss any buyer who bought $25,000 worth of bonds, with one of her events raising an incredible $7 million for the war effort.
Lamarr never received any money for her invention that would later lead the way to modern wireless communications technology but she is remembered in history as not only an iconic actress but also a talented inventor who changed the tech world forever.