The year is 1942, WWII is raging in Europe, and the
United States has joined with Allied Forces. In a desperate attempt to get the
upper hand on the Axis Forces, the National Inventors Counsel asked Americans
to contribute ideas for the defense of the United States and world.
Twenty eight years earlier a little girl was born Hedwig
Kiesler in Vienna. Once grown, she married Fritz Mandl, a wealthy munitions
dealer who developed remote controlled weapons for the Nazi. Unhappy in the marriage,
Hedwig fled to the United States where she was discovered by MGM in 1937 and
given her surname by Louis B Mayer. Mayer named her after the studio’s
silent-era star Barbara La Marr and Hedwig Kiesler became Hedy Lamarr.
Hedy Lamarr found stardom in such moves as Samson and Delilah,
White Cargo and Tortilla Flat with super stars such as Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, and
Jimmy Stewart. Hedy starred in 30 films and was considered the most beautiful
woman alive. But those accolades left her wanting more out of life. And in 1942
when she heard about the National Inventors Counsel asking Americans to help
with invention ideas in the War effort Hedy’s wheels started turning.
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While attending a dinner party she sat and talked with
composer George Andle. She knew that radio-controlled torpedoes were unreliable,
and she also realized the enemy would have a harder time jamming signals if
they were sent over different and changing frequencies. She talked with George
and when leaving she wrote her number on his window in lipstick. Together the
two designed a process called frequency hopping which allowed transmitters and
receivers to change frequencies randomly. In 1942, believing they had something that would
help the war effort, they got a patient. But the military did nothing
with it other than basically throw the idea in a drawer. By the time science used their idea the patient had expired so neither of them ever benefited from their idea.
The system she and George invented is known today as spread
spectrum technology communications. This technology is the bases for things we
take for granted every day now, such as GPS, Satellite, Bluetooth, WiFi, and
yes our cell phones.
Hedy loved science and practiced her favorite hobby of
inventing every chance she got, in her trailer between scenes as well as
staying up all night at home. One of her successes was streamlining Howard
Hughes racing airplane. Lamarr said she didn’t have to work on ideas they just
came naturally. She
was once quoted as saying anyone can be glamorous all they have to do is stand
around and look stupid.
It took 55 years before Hedy was recognized for her
contribution to technology. But in 1997 she was given a Pioneer Award by the
Electronic Frontier Foundation in which Hedy Lamarr replied, "It's about time."
Avice Touchet has always dreamed of marrying for love and that love would be her best friend, Philip Greslet. She’s waited five years for him to see her as the woman she’s become but when a visiting lord arrives with secrets that could put her father in prison, Avice must consider a sacrificial marriage.
Philip Greslet has worked his whole life for one thing—to be
a castellan—and now it is finally in his grasp. But when Avice rebuffs his new
lord’s attentions, Philip must convince his best friend to marry the lord
against his heart’s inclination to have her as his own.
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Debbie Lynne Costello is the author of Sword of Forgiveness, Amazon's #1
seller for Historical Christian Romance. She has enjoyed writing stories since
she was eight years old. She raised her family and then embarked on her own
career of writing the stories that had been begging to be told. She and her
husband have four children and live in upstate South Carolina with their 5
horses, 3 dogs, cat and miniature donkey.
Connect with Debbie Lynne:
I love Hedy's story! It should be told in every school in the land! And I also love Avice and Philip's story. I still can't get over the plot twist!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Connie! You are such an encourager and blessing. :)
DeleteDebbie, what a fascinating post! I can't imagine the frustration she must have had when the government didn't take advantage of their idea. Thanks for sharing this story about the brains behind the beauty.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marilyn. It is amazing that the government had this technology and didn't do anything with it. Imagine how much quicker the war could have ended and lives saved.
ReplyDelete