The Fascinating Life of Hedy Lamarr

The woman behind today's Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 

and encryption technology.

By  

Jocelyn Woolbright

June 11, 2018

 It had been a long day. As an intern at New America, I have been researching the global internet governance debates, collecting sources to analyze different frameworks and working on the draft of an article about the global impact of repealing net neutrality in the U.S. After work, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with my cat and watch a documentary, escaping my life for an hour or so to dive into the perils of someone else’s. After clicking through a few channels, I stumbled across “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.” Though I’d never heard of her, I was immediately hooked by the story of one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses who also happened to be a hugely influential inventor.  

In 1942, in the throes of her cinematic fame, Lamarr and friend, George Antheil, were granted a patent for their frequency-hopping communications system. This system allowed for communication between launched torpedoes, strengthening defenses against radio jamming by enemy signals. As a self-taught inventor, Lamarr learned that these weapons could unfortunately be easily tracked, so she and Antheil developed a system that allowed torpedoes to hop from frequency to frequency, guiding them to their target while being undetected by enemy trackers. This technology is known as the frequency-hopping signal system.

My excitement grew as the documentary continued, but it quickly turned to frustration. Although the military used the frequency-hopping signal system in the 1950’s and during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which led to the development of modern tools such as Bluetooth capabilities, Wi-Fi services, and encryption technology, Lamarr was never taken seriously as an inventor and didn’t receive compensation for her ideas. Many suggested that because of Lamarr’s beauty and career as an actress, she was a spy, or that she stole the invention from her first husband.

As I was watching Lamarr’s story, I couldn’t help but think about my life as a recent college graduate trying to navigate a career path in the cybersecurity field.  I became interested in the field because of my curiosity to learn about emerging technologies and the development of strategies to defend against high level threats. Lamarr’s story has become an important factor in my professional development because it’s a reminder that following your interests, even if they defy societal or personal expectations, is crucial. 

Hedy Lamarr’s work broke stereotypes and her accomplishments were ahead of their time. The U.S. Navy long refused to work with her, even with her advanced knowledge of developing German technology, but she continued to invent anyway. Eventually, the military utilized her frequency-hopping signal system. Though my work on internet governance strategies and policies around the world is not directly related to Lamarr’s, her story reminds me of the challenges that women have faced in the past when trying to follow their passions, and makes me eager to continue the path that many have worked so hard to pave.

After 55 years of little recognition for her frequency-hopping signal system, she was finally honored in a special ceremony by receiving the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award. It highlighted her groundbreaking invention that proved foundational to so much of our technology today. When the foundation called to inform her of the award, she replied: “Well, it’s about time.” Indeed it is, Hedy Lamarr.