Science & TechnologyArts & Literature
A legendary life
Hedy Lamarr
Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler
1914 – 2000
Actor and inventor who co-developed an early frequency-hopping communication system.
Her story
A life that changed history
Alongside a successful film career, Hedy Lamarr co-invented a frequency-hopping spread-spectrum system intended for torpedo guidance. Related spread-spectrum concepts later became important to wireless communications, and she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
“I can't explain, I have an inventive mind. Inventions are easy for me to do.”
Interview with Fleming Meeks for Forbes, 1990