Which actress was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame?

In 2014, Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her development of frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology. During the Second World War, Lamarr said she “did not feel very comfortable, sitting there in Hollywood and making lots of money when the world was in such a state,” so attempted to join the National Inventors Council (NIC). The NIC repeatedly refused her application but Lamarr’s desire to invent something did not abate. After learning that radio-controlled torpedoes could be jammed and set off course, Lamarr devised on paper a frequency-hopping signal that could not be tracked or jammed.

Lamarr asked a friend and pianist, George Antheil (1900-59), to help her make the device. By synchronizing a small player-piano mechanism with radio signals, Antheil made Lamarr’s invention a reality, and she was granted a patent under US Patent 2,292,387 on 11th August 1942. Unfortunately, Lamarr’s device was too technologically advanced for the US Navy to implement. They also refused to consider inventions by non-military personnel.

Lamarr's invention was finally used in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Scientists have also made significant developments to the technology, leading to many devices used in the 21st century, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress. Her films include 'Ecstasy' (1933), 'Ziegfeld Girl' (1941) and 'Samson and Delilah' (1949).