Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor

Who was the real Hedy Lamarr? Was she the sensational movie star who acted in films with Clark Gable, Judy Garland and Lana Turner, whose face was so beautiful it made cinemagoers gasp in awe? Or was she an incredibly clever inventor whose most famous creation, frequency hopping, now known as spread spectrum broadcasting, helped develop Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology?

In fact, Hedy Lamarr was both, as well as being a movie producer and fundraiser, selling 25 million dollars' worth of war bonds during World War Two by making appearances at rallies. Austrian by birth, she became devoted to America, her adopted country, in its efforts to fight against the Nazis, originally developing frequency hopping as a way for Allied submarines to communicate more securely.

During the war, she also volunteered at the Hollywood Canteen, a club for American servicemen who were soon to be sent to battle. Hedy volunteered her time to talk to the soldiers, dance with them and even washed the dishes.

A breathtakingly intelligent woman, she was known only for her beauty for many years; thankfully, she can now take her position as an inspiration for all children in this wonderful book.