History
A Hollywood film star co-invented the tech underneath Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
In 1942, actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil patented a 'frequency-hopping' radio system designed to stop Nazi forces jamming radio-guided torpedoes. The US Navy shelved it for decades. By the time engineers rediscovered the idea, spread-spectrum frequency hopping had become foundational to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS — and Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.