11 August 1942: Screen goddess Hedy Lamarr invents Wi-Fi

Hollywood starlet Hedy Lamarr received a patent in 1942 for her 'frequency hopping communication system' - the basis of much of today's wireless technology.

Hedy Lamarr © George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images
Hedy Lamarr: Hollywood starlet and weapons specialist
(Image credit: © George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Well, not quite. But she was granted patent no. US2292387 on this day in 1942, along with composer George Antheil, for a frequency hopping communication system', that was intended to control torpedoes without the enemy being able to discover what frequency was being used.

Hedy Lamarr and Antheil's technology was adapted from player pianos', which use perforated paper rolls to play the music. The principle was built on over the years, and the same technology now known as 'spread-spectrum broadcasting' forms the basis of much of today's wireless communications: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile phones, GPS, etc.

At the time, however, the technology was ignored. Lamarr was dismissed, and told to go and advertise war bonds if she wanted to contribute. It was not until the Cuban Missile Crisis that the patent was dusted down and put into practical use.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up

Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Austria in 1914, Lamarr married a munitions manufacturer, where she gained a knowledge of weapons systems. But the marriage was unhappy, and his increasing involvement with the Nazis and Mussolini's Fascists led her to leave.

In 1937, she emigrated to Hollywood, where she changed her name and became a huge star for MGM film studios.

But movies were not her only passion. She was an inveterate tinkerer, and had a room full of technical equipment in her Hollywood home. She would retire to her drafting table, where he had "lots more fun being scientific" than being in movies.

In 1997, Lamarr was awarded the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award, which recognises "significant and influential contributions to the development of computer-based communications".

In the same year, she was given the Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, known fittingly as the Oscars of Inventing'. And in 2014, she was inducted into the American National Inventors' Hall of Fame.

Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.