Hey there princess!
Today, Hedy Lamarr's image is mostly known for the photo above taken from the film "Ziegfeld Girl" her contributions to film and to science far surpass her this fleeting fashion moment. In my opinion, "Ziegfeld Girl" is a totally fabulous movie that everyone should watch - truly a star-studded cast, not just star-studded fashion!
Hedy Lamar was born in Austria in 1914 to a Jewish family, and began her film career in Czechoslovakia. In 1937, she disguised herself as a maid and fled to Paris and then London to escape her abusive husband who had ties to the Nazi party. Louis B. Mayer, having seen her previous film work in Europe, offered her a contract with MGM and passage to America.
Hedy didn't just stick to making movies, though. Though she didn't have a formal education, she did have a passion for working on electrical inventions. Her early work led to her creation of an improved traffic light, and after her collaboration with Howard Hughes, she had the resources needed to fully explore her "hobby."
During World War II, she found a way to jam the signals that operated radio-controlled torpedoes through something called "frequency-hopping." Though she never saw a penny from her patent for this technology, it was the foundation for the creation of Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
Be like Hedy:
- Pursue your hobbies
- Embrace adventure
- Be brave in times of adversity
- Be an icon
- Explore the sciences
