In Hollywood she was known as Hedy Lamarr, but Her real name was Hedwig Eva Maria KieslerIn addition to being a talented and beautiful actress, she was an outstanding telecommunications engineer.
She was born on November 9, 1914, in Austria. From an early age, she demonstrated a high level of intelligence and was gifted, so as soon as she had the opportunity, she began studying telecommunications engineering, although she later decided to pursue drama.
With the help of his father, he managed to enroll in the prestigious school of stage director Max Reinhardt. His first performances were in the films “Geld auf der Straße”, “Die Blumenfrau von Lindenau”, “Die Koffer des Herrn OF”, “Man braucht kein Geld” and these were followed by around thirty more films..
His big break came with a film titled “Ekstase (Ecstasy)” in 1932, by Czech director Gustav Machatý. A film that caused great controversy, as it featured the first full nude scene, and also faked an orgasm in a plot that dealt with infidelity, something never seen before in the history of cinema until that point. Even Pope Pius XI and the League of Decency condemned the film for being indecent.
In 1933 he married Friedrich Mandl, who forced Hedy to accompany him to all the events to which they were invited, given that Mandl had business relations with Mussolini's Italian government for the sale of military weapons.
Bored with this life, the renowned actress decided to return to the engineering degree she had abandoned to pursue filmmaking full-time. To that end, she took advantage of the meetings she attended with her husband to gather information about the weapons technology used by the Nazis.
Because her husband was stiflingly controlling during one of his business trips, Hedy Lamarr He decided to escape. According to the media, he did this by disguising himself as her assistant and escaping from the house after giving her a sleeping pill.
She managed to take a train to Paris and later arrived in London. From there, she boarded the Normandie ocean liner bound for the United States. On that ship, she met a film producer named Louis B. Mayer, who offered her a job. The only thing he asked of her was that she change her name so as not to be associated with the film "Ecstasy." Thus, in memory of the famous silent film actress Barbara La Marr, she changed her name to Hedy Lamarr.
Although he acted in many films, he did not have a very good eye for casting, as he did not accept roles that would end up being in masterpieces of the seventh art, such as: Thorold Dickinson's "Gaslight," Michael Curtiz's "Casablanca" and "Gone with the Wind."
How did Hedy Lamarr invent Wi-Fi?
After the outbreak of World War II, he decided to put his services at the service of the United States government, as they needed valuable information about the German army's weapons.. While in the military technology department, Hedy Lamarr noticed that the radio signals that directed the American torpedoes were very easy to decipher.. So, with his great friend, a musician and composer whose name was George Antheil, He designed a system for the detection of guided torpedoes, thus creating the first version of spread spectrum. which allowed long-distance wireless communications. It is worth noting that Spread spectrum is a modulation technique used in telecommunications for radio frequency and digital data transmission..
This device was inspired by a musical principle, operating with 88 frequencies, identical to piano keys, and allowing transmission signals to jump between frequencies in the magnetic spectrum. This invention was patented in 1940 and given to the US Army.
At the time, the military failed to see the invention's usefulness. It wasn't until 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred, a diplomatic conflict involving the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. After that conflict, this technology began to be used to intercept communications and control torpedoes.
It is important to mention that this technical science is currently used for satellite positioning (GPS), for the Wifi and cellular technology.
It's worth noting that Hedwig was passionate about research and, along with another friend named Howard Hughes, suggested designing a faster airplane that combined the shape of a fish with that of a bird. She also designed traffic signs and insisted on creating pills or capsules that would turn water into carbonated drinks.
After World War II, because she was not considered the inventor she was, she decided to found her own film company to continue being a femme fatale, and in this way she acted in a few more films while continuing to do research, keeping this side of her hidden.
Its belated recognition
It wasn't until 1997 when recognition came. Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil were honored with the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award. She was also the first woman to receive the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award from the Invention Convention, also known as the "Oscars of Inventing."
In 1999, the Kunsthalle Vienna, an exhibition center, organized a multimedia project honoring the most unique actress and inventor of the 20th century.
Living in Caselberry, USA, Kiesler died of a heart complication at the age of 85 on January 19, 2000. She left behind a legacy in both cinematography and telecommunications. Did you know about the life of Hedy Lamarr? Let us know and share the story of the inventor of Wi-Fi.
Image: National Geographic
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