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Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. She was born in 1914. Her father was a successful banker and her mother was a concert pianist from a well-to-do family. In the late 1920's she began training as an actress and changed her name to Hedy Lamarr. in 1933 she married one of the top five wealthiest men in Austria, Fritz Mandl, a munitions tycoon 14 years her senior. They lived on their massive estate, Schloss Schwarzenau. By 1937, her marriage had become too much for her to bear. Disguised as her maid she fled Mandl seeking refuge in Paris. Here she met film mogul Louis B Mayer and she was off to Hollywood where she embarked on a fresh life. Between 1940 and 1949 she completed 18 films bringing her enormous fame.
In 1941, she paired up with Hollywood composer and fellow inventor George Antheil to create frequency hopping technology virtually impervious to interference. It was intended to overcome the threat of jamming Allied guided torpedoes by the Axis powers. On 11 Aug 1942 the U S Government awarded them patent number 2,292,387 for a "Secret Communication System". The Navy never implemented their invention during World War II, yet their concept was in use on American warships by 1962, just in time for the Cuban missile crisis. This technology is now widely integrated into many of the devices that we use today. It is the basis for all our wireless technology. Recognition of the value of their work resulted in the pair being posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.[1][2]
Hedy Lamarr (Hollywood photograph) |
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Lewis J. Boies, b: Jun 17, 1920 Turlock, CA; d: 01 Sep 2012 Santa Monica, CA
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