STEM SUPERSTAR WOMEN HEDY LAMARR Reimagining Radio Megan Borgert Spaniol Checkerboard Library An Imprint of Abdo Publishing abdopublishing com
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
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
