Today would’ve been the 101st birthday of Austrian-born 1940s actress Hedy Lamarr. However, in a Google Doodle visible in many countries today, she is remembered not just for being Hollywood royalty, but also for her pioneering efforts in technology during World War II.
The fun Google Doodle, which can be watched below, begins with Lamarr’s glittering Silver Screen triumphs before moving onto her later underground work with composer friend George Antheil. As told by the Doodle artist Jennifer Hom, the pair used their knowledge of how pianos worked to discover a method of preventing German submarines from jamming the Allies’ radio signals.
Lamarr’s involvement in inventing “frequency hopping” has contributed to the development of now familiar wireless technologies like WiFi and Bluetooth. So, next time you connect to a WiFi hotspot, remind yourself that it’s largely down to who was once declared “the most beautiful woman in the world”.
