Prompt Cast
The Hollywood Star Who Invented Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
TLDR Hedy Lamarr, a Hollywood star known for her beauty, also invented a solution to radio frequency jamming during World War II. Her invention, known as frequency hopping, is the basis for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other wireless technologies used today.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Hedy Lamarr, a Hollywood star, was not only known for her beauty but also for her invention that contributed to the development of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology.
01:36
Hedy Lamarr, born in Vienna in 1916, showed an early interest in acting and science, and at the age of 18, she gained fame for her role in the movie Ecstasy, which featured some of the first artistic nude scenes in film history.
02:51
Hedy Lamarr escaped her unhappy marriage and changed her name to Hedy Lamar, eventually securing a $500 a week contract with MGM and starring in several high profile Hollywood films.
04:14
Hedy Lamarr invented a solution to the problem of radio frequency jamming for radio controlled torpedoes during World War II.
05:28
Hedy Lamarr and George Anfield created a rotating device that physically switched radio frequencies, which they patented as a secret communication system for remote control of torpedoes.
06:53
The Navy classified Hedy Lamarr's patent for frequency hopping, but in the 1950s they began working on prototypes and in 1962 the technology was implemented on naval ships, and it has since been used in military communications, Wi-Fi, cellular technology, and Bluetooth.
08:20
Hedy Lamarr spent the last years of her life in seclusion in Florida, rarely seeing anyone including her own children, and she sued Warner Brothers in the 1970s for the use of a character in the movie Blazing Saddles called Hedley Lamar, settling out of court.
