Nokea
Hedy Lamarr was a woman of many talents. She was first known as a European film actress in the 1930s and early 1940s. Some of her popular films included Boom Town (1940) and White Cargo (1942); however, her roles generally did not include very many spoken lines and she became bored. To relieve this boredom, Lamarr took up inventing.
Hedy Lamarr did not have any formal training, but she did not allow that to stop her from teaching herself in her spare time. Although she had a number of failed inventions, such as an improved traffic light and a carbonated drink, Lamarr did not stop coming up with ideas. She even spent time working with the science engineering team employed by Howard Hughes, the aviation tycoon.
During World War II, Lamarr learned that one of the military's new technologies, radio-controlled torpedoes, were too easily jammed and redirected. She came up with a type of radio signal that changed, or "hopped," frequencies and was unable to be tracked or disrupted. With the assistance of her friend George Antheil, she was able to design the system and patent it in August 1942.
Unfortunately, the United States Navy was not interested. The technology of the era wasn't quite good enough to easily implement Lamarr's system, and the Navy was not particularly interested in civilian inventions at the time. It wasn't until 20 years later, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, that a version of Lamarr's system began appearing on Navy ships.
The work Lamarr and Antheil did creating this frequency-hopping system led to many technologies that are often taken for granted today. Their work led to the development of cell phones, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Just think, we might not have any of those things if Hedy Lamarr had been given more interesting roles.
What was one of Hedy Lamarr's notable inventions?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: One of Hedy Lamarr's notable inventions was the frequency-hopping system, which she developed during World War II to secure radio-controlled torpedoes. This system changed frequencies to prevent jamming by enemies. Lamarr's frequency-hopping technology laid the groundwork for modern technologies like cell phones, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Choices A and B are mentioned as some of Lamarr's failed inventions in the passage. Choice C refers to the military technology that inspired Lamarr's invention, not her invention itself.