Hedy Lamarr: Reimagining Radio

Hedy Lamarr: Reimagining Radio — page 1 — 4 1 HEDY LAMARR Austrian American Hedy Lamarr is most widely remembered as a beautiful movie star of the 1930s and 1940s But away from the studio the Hollywood actress was also an active inventor Lamarr's ideas led to an invention that would change the way the world communicates As an actress Lamarr became famous for her looks Because of this she had to work extra hard to be taken seriously People didn't expect a beauty like her to have the sharp mind of an inventor But Lamarr never cared about doing what was expected of her Lamarr's greatest idea came during World War II She invented a system for guiding underwater missiles All creative people want to do the unexpected Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr: Reimagining Radio — page 2 — 5 Hedy Lamarr resented her looks She famously said My face is a mask I cannot remove I must always live with it I curse it by radio Lamarr thought her idea could help the United States fight German submarines But the invention had its greatest effect on the development of wireless communication Her ideas paved the way for technologies such as cell phones and the internet

Hedy Lamarr: Reimagining Radio — page 3 — 6 2 REBEL WITH A DREAM Hedwig Hedy Eva Maria Kiesler was born on November 9 Historians are unsure whether her birth year was 1913 or 1914 Hedy grew up in Vienna Austria Her father Emil was a banker Her mother Gertrude was a former professional pianist Hedy's father encouraged her to use her imagination He told her exciting stories and took her on long walks Emil was also fascinated by technology He was always explaining to Hedy how different machines worked Meanwhile Gertrude taught her daughter to appreciate the fine arts She had Hedy take ballet and piano lessons Hedy spent much of her free time playing by herself She loved to dress up in costumes and act out fairy tales She dreamed of one day becoming an actress In 1929 Hedy's parents sent her to a finishing school in Switzerland Hedy was not happy at the school and tried to run away After getting caught several times she was

Hedy Lamarr: Reimagining Radio — page 4 — 7 The city of Vienna is known for its music art and theater finally successful She took a train back to Vienna and convinced her parents to let her stay there They sent Hedy to a local school where she studied art and design

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