Hollywood's Secret Weapon 👠💣

Hedy Lamarr vs. Nazi Tech

In 1941, the US military faced a sticky problem: Nazis were jamming radio-controlled torpedoes, rendering them useless.

Meanwhile, Hollywood superstar Hedy Lamarr was dealing with her own communication breakdown – an oppressive arms-dealer husband.

They split, but at least her marriage gave her insights into military tech.

Here's where it gets juicy: Hedy was a polymath, a rare breed outstandingly good in multiple fields. Think Da Vinci but with better hair.

Hedy would dash to her trailer between takes to obsess over the military's radio jamming puzzle. She teamed up with composer George Antheil and, inspired by player pianos, they birthed frequency hopping technology.

This solution changed communications forever. It laid the groundwork for modern wireless tech like WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

Hedy patented the invention in 1942, but the Navy shelved it, claiming it was "too bulky" for a torpedo. She realized her pitch had misfired – mentioning pianos made officials imagine cramming a Steinway into a submarine.

Hedy's talent for connecting dots across disciplines produced unique outcomes in cinema and technology. But the world wasn't ready to tune into her frequency.

She didn't receive financial compensation for her patent, and her work gained recognition much later. In 1997, she received the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award.

Her answer over the phone – as the pioneer and visionary that she was – consisted of a quote from Lizzo:

"It's about damn time."

See you on the next one! 🫶

Matías.

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See you on the next one! ❤️

Matias.