Hedy Lamarr Google Doodle Honors Hollywood Star Who Invented “Frequency Hopping” Technology
Marking Hedy Lamarr’s 101st birthday, today’s Google Doodle pays tribute to the woman who invented and received a patent for her “frequency hopping” technology. Aimed at preventing German submarines from blocking radio signals during World War II, Lamarr’s technology laid the groundwork for Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi – all technologies near and dear to Google’s (mobile) heart.
On top of being a scientific genius, Lamarr also happened to be a 1940s film star. During her heyday in Hollywood, Lamarr was often referred to as the most beautiful woman in the world – a moniker that has remained throughout the decades.
Google’s Hedy Lamarr Doodle includes an animated video that pays tribute to the glamour of Lamarr’s Hollywood career, while showing the film star’s scientific side. Lamarr Doodle designer Jennifer Hom says Lamarr has achieved “a kind of mythical status” at Google.
“I dug through old fashion illustrations and movie posters to try to capture the look and feel of the 1940s,” writes Hom on the Google Doodle blog, “Sketching storyboards on a yellow notepad helped me figure out how to show Lamarr in very different scenarios – movie star by day, inventor by night.”
Here’s the Lamarr Doodle video, set to a 1940s-styled movie soundtrack composed by Adam Ever-Hadani:
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