Hedy Lamarr
Ink and watercolor on 9″ x 12″ watercolor paper
The latest addition to the ‘She Changed the World’ collection!
Hedy Lamarr, born in 1914 as Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna, Austria-Hungary is remembered as an actress but it was her mind that left a permanent mark on the world. After fleeing her husband and hiding in Paris, she met Louis B Mayer, the head of MGM, who brought her to Hollywood. She was a major film star from the 1930’s to the 1950’s and regarded as one of the most beautiful women on Earth.
But it was during World War II that she made an invention that a good part of the world runs on today. Working with composer George Antheil she developed a radio guidance system for torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to avoid jamming. Because they were outside of the military, the US Navy didn’t adopt the technology until the 1960’s. The elements used in their technology are the framework that CDMA, Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth technology are built upon. So if you use a cellphone or jump on a wireless network with your tablet or laptop, you’re able to do so because of this woman who was so much more than just a pretty face.