Hollywood Star Hedy Lamarr Secretly Invented Wi-Fi Technology
What Happened
In August 1942, Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received U.S. Patent #2,292,387 for their revolutionary “frequency hopping spread spectrum communication system.” This technology rapidly switched radio signals across different frequencies to prevent enemy interception—a concept that seemed like science fiction at the time.
The invention used an ingenious mechanism inspired by player piano rolls to synchronize frequency changes between transmitter and receiver. Lamarr drew on technical knowledge she’d absorbed during her first marriage to Austrian arms dealer Fritz Mandl, who had Nazi connections and often discussed torpedo guidance systems at dinner parties.