Hedy Lamarr: Hollywood Superstar With Technopreneur Ideas

Hedy Lamarr, 1944

She was one of the leading ladies of the silver screen, but other skills Hedy Lamarr had would, today, bring a fortune. Tech giants of our era, using their talent for pushing boundaries, accumulate huge wealth. But, Hedy Lamarr lived in the 1930s and 1940s. And that was a completely different age. 

From Vienna to Hollywood

Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna in 1914, Hedy had been curious since  early age. Her father supported her curiosity, often taking her  out on walks, and explaining how  machines work. Her mother was a pianist and it is obvious Hedy inherited that artistic tendency from her mother. At the age of 12, Hedy also showed an interest in acting and even won a beauty contest in Vienna. She started to develop her acting career in Vienna where she met her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, an arms dealer. The marriage was a union of two vastly different personalities that didn’t go well together, especially because of Lamarr’s controversial film, Ecstasy. So, Hedy left him and, while travelling to London, met Louis B. Mayer, a famous movie producer. Mayer was her ticket to Hollywood.

Hedy Lamarr in Algiers, 1938

Ideas Between Movie Sets

Although she was a talented inventor and problem solver who wanted to improve things people use and make life better, that talent in  1930s and 1940s Hollywood wasn’t in demand. Her looks brought her roles in Boom Town, White Cargo, and Samson and Delilah and made her famous. But this headstrong and persistent lady didn’t abandon her other interests. She wasn’t trained in physics and technology and couldn’t work in this field. Having a hobby was the only option. But,  sketches she made between sets would later serve as a foundation for modern communications in the form as we know it today.

With Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah, 1949

Desire to Make  Life Easier

Many of Hedy Lamarr’s inventions and patents were not fully developed, but they are proof of her creativity and potential. Today, a person with thise skill set, can easily become a tech mogul. She had such a strong desire to solve everyday problems. Her concept of  an improved design for traffic stoplights is proof of that. Today, in every store, we can find diverse types of tablets that dissolve in water. Hedy Lamarr developed a dissolving tablet that created a soda-like beverage. This invention was firstly appealing to soldiers who enjoy fizzy drinks, but since its taste was unappealing, it didn’t have great commercial success. Although, this adventure showed Lamarr’s knack for entrepreneurship. apart from that she was interested in mechanical engineering and aviation. So, she proposed changes that would lead to increased fuel efficiency and enhanced plane performance. Her idea for an improved compact pillbox aimed at helping people to storee and carry their medications more conveniently. Hedy Lamarr constantly thought of contributing to the war effort. One of her ideas included modified gas masks, a crucial piece of a soldiers’ equipment during  World War II.

‘Frequency Hopping’: The Foundation of Modern WiFi

Although she had a broad interest in improving people’s lives, Hedy Lamarr’s invention that had the greatest impact on the further development of technology was a “frequency hopping” communication system. In the 1940’s, at a dinner party, she met George Antheil, composer, pianist, author, and inventor. Sharing the same spirit for pushing boundaries, Lamar and Antheil started to tinker with how to fight the axis powers.

George Antheil, 1927

They invented a new communication system whose goal was to direct torpedoes exactly to their targets. Amongst radio waves, both transmitter and receiver “hopped” to new frequencies together. In such a case, there can be no interception of radio waves, and the torpedo can find the intended target. After they created it, Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil sought a patent and military support. They received a patent in 1942, but the Navy rejected it. Hedy Lamarr had no financial gain from her patent. She continued to perform successfully in her roles. She and Antheil’s idea would be rediscovered and researched in the 1950s, and the U.S. Navy would start to use that technology in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Patent for Secret Communication System by Hedy Kiesler Markey (Lamarr) and George Antheil, 1942 (Google Patents)

Although receiving late recognition, the talent of Hedy Lamarr was significant for the history of modern communication. Her idea was the start of the evolution of WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. And taking into consideration her entrepreneurial spirit, it is obvious there is a lot of similarity with today’s technopreneurs. She couldn’t become that, the circumstances weren’t in her favor. But her ideas inspired many.

Author

  • Ivana Tucak, Editor-in-Chief, is an experienced historian who seamlessly blends traditional expertise with a cutting-edge approach to digital media. She holds an MA in History and Italian Language and Literature from the University of Split. With a distinguished career spanning various online publications, Ivana has extensively covered a wide range of topics, notably focusing on history and international politics.

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