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How Hollywood's Hedy Helped Heighten Handhelds (hackaday.com)
szczys writes: Hedy Lamarr is a household name for the wrong reason. Her name is known as a Hollywood actress, but her legacy is in your pocket and reaches far more people than her movies. She was a brilliant thinker who plied her skills during World War II, developing technology that could help to win the war. Her patent wasn't used at the time, but is a foundation of spread-spectrum which is used in the radio modules of your cellphone: WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and others. This frequency hopping concept sat unused for decades before being added to the most ubiquitous of wireless connectivity methods.
I cannot believe that this crap is actually believed! It is wrong in so many ways. It's also insulting to the women who actually worked hard to create real advances in science like say Radia Perlman, who aren't attractive celebrities!
1. Frequency hopping was first mentioned by Tesla 30 years before. It was used in WW1 by the Germans, there were patents on frequency hopping in the 30's. It was used by both the USA and Germany in WW2.
2. The invention was by George Antheill who had created a musical piece by synchronizing player pianos. At the time when asked she said
“Hedy modestly admitted she did only ‘creative work on the invention,’ while the composer and author, George Antheil, ‘did the really important chemical part.‘
Hedy was not too clear about how the device worked, but she remembered that she and Anthiel sat down on her living room rug and were using a silver match box with the matches simulating the wiring of the invented ‘thing.’ She said it was lots more fun being scientific than going to the movies.”
- See more at: http://patentlawcenter.pli.edu/2011/12/05/the-truth-about-hedy-lamarr/#sthash.LV86Y6iE.dpuf
She got dual credit on the patent, but apparently everyone forgets about George.
3. As others point out frequency hopping is NOT the basis on model cell phones.
A couple of issues, why did the USA keep her patent secret you ask? Because they were using spread spectrum and they didn't want that to get out.
She did think of it right? Well probably not since her ex-husband was an arms dealer in Austria so she probably heard him talking about it.
Really folks, what's the chance of someone who had no noteworthy science background, who introduced herself to Antheil because she wanted a boob job and never did anything again, whose "invention" looks like the work of someone else (Antheil).
Please STOP repeating this crap and tell people the truth.