Tech Trends: Hedy Lamarr

History of Hedy Lamarr

Movie Star and Technology Inventor

Bill Petro
ILLUMINATION
Published in
5 min readNov 23, 2024

--

Hedy Lamarr. Image: Wikimedia

Hedy Lamarr, the Austrian-American actress and Hollywood legend known as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” is remembered today, November 9, on the anniversary of her birthday for her pioneering work on the technology that would become the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communications systems.

What? you say. Indeed, say I.

More than a pretty face, she had a genius-level IQ of around 140. The Vienna-born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler began studying engineering at an early age but put her studies aside to dedicate herself to the theatre.

Banned for Twenty Years

Hedy Lamarr in Come Live With Me. Image: Wikimedia

In 1932, at 18, she was filming several scenes of the Czech movie Ecstasy without, shall we say, the benefit of external adornment. This controversy shot her to stardom during filming, but the movie was banned for twenty years after its release in 1933. Pope Pius XII denounced it, and Hitler banned it in Germany.

She married Friedrich Mandl, a German arms industry magnate who was jealous and controlling…

--

--

ILLUMINATION
ILLUMINATION

Published in ILLUMINATION

We curate and disseminate outstanding articles from diverse domains and disciplines to create fusion and synergy.

Bill Petro
Bill Petro

Written by Bill Petro

Writer, historian, technologist. Former Silicon Valley tech exec. Author of fascinating articles on history, tech, pop culture, & travel. https://billpetro.com

Responses (2)

What are your thoughts?