Hedy Lamarr and the Torpedo
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- The History Guy remembers how "the most beautiful woman in film," Hedy Lamarr, helped invent WiFi.
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George Antheil's great nephew reached out to me to tell me that the last name is pronounced Ahn-Tile. I am sorry for mispronouncing his name.
Yeah but my question is did any of them have the first clue about how to make a Pizza?
ajp782 that is just parsing. The guy had dinner parties with Hitler. The fine line between Austrofascism and Nazis was not relevant to why she left him.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Mussolini always wanted to be seated next to Hedy at dinner parties and he would not sell Mandl his copy of Ecstasy either. Fritz had tried to buy all the copies of it so people could not see his wife naked, as it was so scandalous in the early 1930's for her to be running around naked on the screen..LOL
The History Guy: History Deserves to be Remembered. Have you done the story of the balloon bombs from Japan that landed in the northwest and killed several Americans. ? If so can't find it,please republish. I am new to you and a big fan. You do a Great job, another thought ....have yours ever heard of US NAVY Helicopter Squadron 13 stationed in Quonset Point RHODE Island. It was only active one year before it was decommissioned.
On the subject of pronunciation, Charles Boyer is pronounced " boy-ay"
Few know about renowned chef Julia Childs' service in WW 2, when she was rose to Chief of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the forerunner of today's CIA. Not just a great cook, but a brilliant lady.
I do remember when her son was at a award banquet accepting for his mother and called her while receiving it. Thanks history guy. She should have received the recognition a lot earlier.
When ever I hear her name all I can think of is Harvey Korman screaming "it's Headley"
Classic, That's really funny and always will be, Thanks for the laff.
That’s the first thing that poped in my mind also! Walk this way....🤣
@Maxim Ghost Interestingly Mel Brooks thinks Hedy was the most beautiful woman he ever saw. He was a big fan of hers.
The hell are ya worried about? This is 1874! You'll be able to sue her!
Me too, lol
I have to say this is probably my favorite episode. I teach Computer Information Technology and I always look forward to my students coming in that day to see a picture of Ms. Lamarr up on the screen and them wondering who she is. It's a lot of fun explaining how she got bored with film and wanted to use her brains instead of her looks.
Perfect example of forgotten history, Im glad she is getting more recognition now for these contributions
I really like Hedy Lamarr, she's one of my heroes. Not for her acting career, but for who she was and the other contributions she made. It makes me sad that she wasn't recognized for the other things she did for most of her life, but that seems to be how it goes for people who are ahead of their time.
My Father worked in a Torpedo Lab with her. Locked under Heavy Marine Guard in two rooms for six weeks while they worked out the Axis Torpedo sabotage problems together. He said it was the sweetest Duty he ever had!
Sad that nobody would ever believe his story. "Yeah, right. You spent six weeks working with Hedy Lamarr. I'm sure you own a bridge in Brooklyn that you'd like to sell me, too."
I once met the Pope in the 80s at Vatican City. He was a great man, and invited me to have tea and cookies with him.
My maternal grandmother was the house keeper for the Oscar-Mayer heiress, the house on Rodeo drive. Was originally Hedy Lamar's beautiful place for a beautiful lady. I do remember my grandmother showing me the room where Hedy had her architectural desk
I love the fact that she did great thing with her mind. we need more people like her.
Wow! Timeless stunning good looks AND a technically inquisitive mind AND a patriot! Awesome combination!
Ahhhhh. But her inner beauty was much more beautiful.
Hollywood starlets are often associated with BOMBSHELLS, but seldom with torpedoes!
Russ G Tough crowd huh?
I can't believe you're not gettin' any love on that one!
Russ G Yeah? Google Jayne Russel and Jayne Mansfield.
@Russ G - What a great play on words! Thank you for sharing it with us. :-)
Russ G Well played Russ. Well played
@@michealpowell1299 Very True Mike. Too many people looking to argue instead of recognizing a witty comment by Russ that "deserves to be remembered"
Ms. Lamarr lived her later years in a house in Casselberry, FL. In fact, she was my back-yard neighbor (no joke!), although I did not know it at the time. She lived on Wesson Dr and I lived on Mallorn Way and our back-yards backed up to each other. Granted, rumors circulated that a former movie star lived in the neighborhood. But, I never gave it much thought. It wasn't until she passed away that I finally came to understand who the movie star was and where she lived. As you mentioned, she was likely a bit of a recluse in her later years as I never saw, or met her despite her being my backyard neighbor!
Her empathy was quiet and overwhelming. That was the most beautiful part about her. The outward beauty she possessed was secondary. I hope her family is proud of her contributions. May they stay healthy, safe, and prosper.
Great article, History Guy! The "Sounding Device" from the 1950's that you mentioned, is today called a SonoBuoy and is still used to track submarines. I was a US Navy Aircrewman during the Vietnam War. During our air patrols, my job was to 'listen" to these sonobuoys and record the sounds in order to find and track Russian submarines. We dropped the sonobuoys from our P-3 Orion aircraft. I can tell you that there are THOUSANDS of sonobuoys on our ocean's floors today as a result of these patrols.
As a amateur radio operator I'm very familiar with Hedy Lamarr . She is one of our greats. She was one intelligent woman. A true hero from a time long gone.
I first became aware of spread-spectrum systems in the early 1980's, learning electronic communication systems in the US Air Force Reserve. Of course it was still very classified at the time. I recently read a biography of Hedy Lamar, "The Only Woman in the Room" in which this invention has a prominent part.
Do you remember that BBC program "Connections" They would take wildly different technologies and show how they are connected through one thing leading to another.
I've read a lot about Heady Lamar, and I feel she was one of those people born too early. She was a woman so no one in her generation ever expected to find such incredible ingenuity from her brain.
Eric Taylor connections one. A brilliant TV program.
Loved that series! I have several of Burke's books. My late father and I are both engineers and we watched and discussed the series together on PBS. And I would watch Masterpiece Theater and Mystery with my mom. A well rounded education =)
That was a great show.
I loved that show! Because they needed a better way to defend cities in the middle ages, we now have slow cookers! Not exactly one of their connections, but something along those lines. I wish it were available on DVD.
I remember that series of programs. That was waaay back. I was still in my house back then. I think it was the 80s.
I used to work at the British Library in London.
One of my projects was an exhibition of 20th century inventions.
I chose Hedy Lamarr as my full colour centrepiece for the exhibition which included information on the torpedo patent (the Patent Office is part of the B L).
It was said that her studio thought she was was too beautiful for meaningful roles.
I enjoy very much your fascinating channel and your enthusiastic presentation.
Hedy was a brilliant woman and a great gift to humanity. She's important to us amateur radio operators too. Just brilliant
Hedy Lamar rocked!
Yeah she did. And I love her comment on looking glamorous!
Gorgeous
Superb story, can't wait to relay this to my 87 year old mom, she will either surprise me with her knowledge or be thrilled to learn of this story. Thanks as always for another great piece of history.
Hedy Lamar, one my female tech heroes! Along with Admiral Grace Hopper, Lady Ada Lovelace and numerous others. Even better, Hedy stuck it to the Nazis.
Well, she was a Jew. Perhaps she could have gotten declared an 'Honorary Aryan'.
That’s Hedley!
My Father worked with her. I can tell you stories!
Achille Belanger please do tell !!
The technology she created is what allows smartphones to work.
Hedy Lamarr was BRILLIANT! It is a tragedy that this aspect of her life is not better known. Very glad to see her get props in this video.
We were taught about Ms Lamarr's variable/sync-ed coding in Marine Corps avionics troubleshooter school at NAS Memphis in 1974. A great many Austrian expatriates resented their homeland's forced inclusion in and worked hard to help the Allies.
HootOwl513 :I was at NAAS Millington TN (ADJ A school) in early 1972.
I was an aircraft electrician, went thru basic electricity electronics and AE-A1 school at NAS Millington from November 75 till April 76 then to NAS Lemoore, CA. At the time it was A-7 heaven. VA-215 A-7 A&B models, then transitioned to VA-94 A-7 C&E models. In a way it seems like yesterday, in another way it as though it was 1000 years ago.
Meant to add VA-215 was the barn owls....
@@randycrocker9459 you are a hero! God bless you! Randy, dear hero! You are what, not only this weak and weary military needs right now…. The world, my friend… the world. And God protect us. Yet my Lord God, I believe you ARE in control! Renew my faith through Christ our Lord.
Their inclusion was hardly forced. It was passed almost unanimously in Austria. They were were well aware of the "German Miracle" economic recovery powerhouse thanks to the reforms made by the National Socialist particularly in their banking system. An example being the outlawed practice of usury making it possible for German citizens to obtain loans without the predatory practices rampant in the Weimar Republic.
It's stories like this one that makes me genuinely appreciate this channel
I learned about Hedy Lamar and her contribution to radio when I went through Navy Tech School for radio. Her and Admiral Hopper are two of the greatest women who ever lived.
...and Marie Curie? Two separate Nobel Prizes awarded in less than 10 years!
I especially Love this one Sir on Beauty and Brains..... Hedy Lamarr...thank you for posting!
Brilliant episode of an important but forgotten technological evolution. Fascinating! Hedy was the perfect woman intelligent and beautiful!
She deserves being remembered 🧡
I already knew that Hedy LaMarr had been a genius inventor but this is news to me and she is more fascinating than ever before. Thank you belatedly!
Though I don’t automatically assume somebody is stupid, even in Hollywood, this seems to go well beyond “having brains”. Tesla, who many regard as a genius, had ideas for radio controlled torpedoes, but (to my knowledge) didn’t have any ideas like the shifting frequency. That is just incredible.
I don’t deny Tesla’s genius. It’s just amazing that genius can come from such an unexpected place. I guess that speaks volumes for letting people’s achievements speak for themselves rather than assuming the stereotypical.
Tesla's idea did use shifting frequencies, although using a different mechanism. But, as you say, that is something you'd expect of Tesla, not necessarily of Hedy Lamarr.
What do you mean that Hedy Lamarr took the idea from Nikolaus Tesla?
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel
Her beauty was matched with her mind,and a marvelous combination they are, never forgotten.
Again. What a great channel, & what a great researcher & teacher you are.
My favourite story about Hedy Lamarr and this invention occurred, as you say Lance, late in life and was, if I recall correctly the first one she received and was from The American Inventors Society. Her son, who in a delicious irony of history, managed a mobile phone shop at the time, was the one who got to tell Hedy about the award. Hedy, who was famous for not suffering fools gladly replied "About time!".
Wow! Had no idea! What an incredible woman. Thank you for this episode, she certainly deserves to be remembered.
So few people know this, thanks. She was brilliant.
Google did a worm on their home page about her a couple of years ago.
I live in Alaska and watch y’all on UA-cam channel of The History Guy. Thank y’all very much all day long. Yahoo
Wow, I had no idea! Thanks for sharing this video. Much respect to Hedy Lamarr!
Thanks for mentioning George Antheil, I didn't know the guy before I watched this video, but I found him on UA-cam, and it seems his works have been very influential to a composer like Frank Zappa, which makes him an important figure in the history of contemporary music. I love these little snippets of obscure history, they are full of forgotten people, that really deserve to be remembered.
I’ve known for a while that Hedy LaMarr had something to do with inventions during WW II, but not exactly what they were. To fully understand her impact required the intervention of The History Guy. Thank you once again for History That Deserves to be Remembered.
U.S. military members who've ever used Frequency Hop and had to "synch" their Crypto, something nearly all conventional military radios do, owe a big thanks to Miss Lamarr for it. Of course being the military, its a temperamental system at best, but that's on the Engineers down the road who didn't quite live up to the theory.
SSG. U.S.Army (Medically Retired), Infantryman / Sniper / SOT-A, multiple tours
I have heard this story before, but you tell it so well.
I was aware of her involvement, but you fleshed out the details wonderfully. Thanks for another winner!
Excellent video. I had heard about this before and your telling of her contribution was more detailed. She was beautiful and brilliant and I'm glad you are letting the world know about her.
I'm learning lots of stuff that I never even heard about in school. This channel is probably the most valuable one on UA-cam. One of the most valuable, anyway. Either way, I love history, too. When I was in school, I was bored with it. I used to say "Why study history, there's no future in it?" I no longer feel that way. If we don't remember history, we'll eventually be condemned to repeat it. Thank you for this channel.
Your videos spoil viewers sir. Few others can match these works for their overall qualities. Unique story, good writing, researched for depth, well delivered and prolific. Definitely history that deserves to be remembered.
"Any girl can look glamorous - all you have to do is stand there and look stupid" Wow. What a quote for our times. Just click on the 'trending' tab in YT to see what I mean.
She was as brilliant as she was beautiful.
I almost always watch THG on TV, where one can't comment. So today I'm making the rounds to like everything I've seen. I love everything about The History Guy. The episodes are reliable, thorough, educational, and entertaining.
I'm addicted to your videos, I send them to everyone. .. please don't ever stop making them, I would be lost
just discovered your videos...LOVE THEM...thanks.
WOW!.... Very Interesting!
GREAT VIDEOS my friend!... Never a dull topic!... Keep up the GREAT work!...
Hello Mr. History, I've just discovered your videos, and I really, really like them. Please keep up making them. You're doing a great job. :)
Great stuff that we need to remember. Thanks for presenting this story and all of the others. They are appreciated.
This was an EXCELLENT video- I had no idea Lamarr did all of these things in her life. Totally fascinating, and I really appreciate your work in preserving yet another important, interesting piece of history! I may have to but another T-shirt!
Never disappointed, excellent as always!
Amazing video! Thank you so much! Hedy Lamarr was SO way ahead of her own, or anyone's time.
Excellent video about an interesting topic. Thanks for the hard work you put into your channel.
I've spent my entire Sunday watching your videos.
I did know the Hedy Lamarr story, but it's nice to hear it again... from The History Guy. Thank you.
Hedy LaMarr sounds like she was an amazing person. I’d like to learn more about her.
I was aware of the contributions that Ms Lamar made. But it helps to remind others of her accomplishments. Thanks for this story.
Wonderful piece. Thank you.
Thank you very much for making this.
Having dealt with frequency hopping for many years (another name for spread spectrum), it was interesting to find out that this under appreciated mind invented it so many years ago. The current technology is years beyond what Hedy Lamarr and her partner would have had, but the idea was sound...and created so long ago. Thank you, Hedy...you were born too soon...
Navy thought the mechanical implementation were too bulky, it wasn't until transistors were adopted in 1950's that Hedy/Antheil patent was used. She was ahead of her time.
Another great little know piece of history people should know. Thanks again HG.
Just as I would expect from you, this is an accurate and very fair assessment. So many tellings of this story exaggerate how much impact her idea had at the time. The story of its development over time is so much more interesting and genuine. I seem to remember that even The Man From U.N.C.L.E. used spread-spectrum for their little pen communicators. ;).
The TRULY brilliant mind && Spirit of Hedy Lamarr...
FANTASTIC! Thank you HG-
She wasn't one if the most beautiful women in film. She was perhaps the most beautiful woman who lived in the modern era. The most beautiful I have ever seen at any rate.
Guess you never saw Ava Gardner.
Catherine DeNueve? Raquel Welch? Dianne Cannon? Sophia Loren? Maureen O'Hara? Which of these would you kick out of bed to make room for her? No dog indeed, but if we are judging by sheer beauty, they come three a penny.....
@@whaszis I would have to see both in person but Lana Turner who did said Hedy was the most beautiful woman she ever saw and Ava was a very good friend of Lana's.
She was Jewish and hated the Nazis , bless her soul
Love your Channel And Miss Lamarr A woman to Die for RIP
Thank you. Great story. Great storytelling.
What a amazing story. Thank you.
I have never been a history buff but, I have now subscribed and watched several of your perfectly short videos. I'm really digg'n it. Keep 'em coming!
Thanks alot HG.I really appreciate this story. An Austrian-American, highly intelligent, beauty. I love it!
I didn't know. Thanks again.
From Vienna.
Peace.
Thank you. Love the channel!
In the modern military, we call this technology “frequency hop”. Very interesting that it was created from old player piano technology.
The first wide application of digital technology to this for data and voice by the US DOD is called HAVE QUICK.
Germans had it in world war 1...
@@spooderdoggy no HAVE Quick and SINCGARS are digital systems. The system Heddy was co-patent holder on was mechanical. It was a theoretical improvment on existing technology. There is superficial similarity but it is like comparing an abacus and a calculator. Also to be clear no working model was ever derived from the Hedley Patent.
I don't mean to impugn your good looks Mr. History Guy, but I really was looking forward to seeing more of Hedy Lamarr. =)
You never know what you do that might end up being the most significant contribution you make in life. So keep at it!
That's right. The "nay sayers" are actually motivators in disguise😉👍👍 🌟
Thanks a million... I am addicted to your great channel
I just loved your video. Although I already knew this about her it was entertaining to watch you articulate her life story. I firmly believe she is the most beautiful woman to have ever graced the Silver Screen. And with absolutely no artificial augmentation. Until later in life as you mentioned.
OK - anyone else think Harvey Korman for a brief second? "It's Hedley..."
Wonderful video - thanks from Tampa!
2:00 The actress was Barbara La Marr 1896-1926 who was also noted for her beauty.
This is fascinating. Good job!
Hedy Lamarr. A beautiful woman with a beautiful mind!
This was simply amazing to me!! Wonderful and thought provoking thank you very much
When I enlisted in the Army in 1990 my first MOS was in communications, and while in AIT we were trained on the then-new first generation SINCGARS tactical radios which used digital frequency-hopping technology to avoid jamming. I never knew that Hedy LaMarr was behind the idea in an analog form. Thanks for the lesson!
Thank you, what an incredible story.
Sir. Your videos are great. Thanks for doing them.
Whoa-o-o!!! How too cool!!! Thank you ONCE MORE!!!
Beautiful research and beautifully told. Thank you
My mother told me of her forty years ago. Love this channel
Thanks again Doc!
She was a true patriot, as are you. Thank You for these fine videos.
You hit a heart string,, 73-77 I was an ET in the Sosus system. We dropped what you described and I used Sonobouys. Passively picked up the frequencies of the subs, "dissected " the frequency spectrum and identified and localized the Soviet Subs. Stationary hydrophone arrays were all over the planet I worked in Adak Ak and Pac Beach Wa. That's about all the beans I can spill, cause a derivative of this system is still in use and is classified. Hedy Lamarr was a part of my 4 year stint working for the government,, well I'll just be damned! She had to have been one very intelligent Human Being!
Hey, sailor, I was stationed at the Marine Barracks on Adak, 1968-69. I've recently seen a few cars wearing stickers with a bold ADK on them. I don't know what THEY think it means, but we know that ADK is the IATA code for the airfield on Adak. Was Reeve Aleutian still flying in & out when you were there, or were they already out of business?
Interesting item from my time there. One day when I was on roving patrol I was taking a break at an OP overlooking the bay and the end of the runway. A really weird set of landing lights appeared in the overcast - definitely not something I had seen before. When the aircraft visible it was even stranger. I figured it must be one of ours because it had USAF painted on it. Several years later I found out it was one of the first C-141 aircraft. Fast-forward to the 1980s, and I spent six years working as a comms tech in the AF Reserve, working on C-141's!!!
This story has always fascinated me. You should do another one about the 1930s-1960s ACTOR Reginal Denny. He was a veteran of WWI and became fascinated with RC Planes. He developed flying drones for the USAAF during WWII and experimented with armed drones as well out Edwards AFB, which was then known as Muroc Army Air Field.
Love your video's...five minutes of history...so much info. Great works.
THAT was really great man thank you.
The woman was epic in so many ways! They are still out but few, if any will ever get the recognition due to them.
Her beauty is off the scale, and her brains as well! Oh Frauline!!!
She would have killed me because I'm weak that way...
I'd loved to have met her and had a chat over tea or coffee!
Gorgeous and so intelligent! Bless this Jewish soul amen
'It's "HEDLEEEEEYYY...."...'...Sorry, had to get that in...great channel mate, just what UA-cam should be about...👍
pretty epic, say I.
LOL !!! Yes !
Glasgow Gallus right. i was just thinking that
"You came first! You can sue HER!"
Also its Charles Boy-yay..not Boyer. None the less,you find good stuff,professor.