Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian actress famous in the golden age of cinema, also contributed to developing frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology. The patent was little-known until 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation gave Lamarr an award for this contribution. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Hedy Lamarr, who died in Jan. 2000 and was famous in the 1930s and 40s as a film star, is now gaining recognition for her part in developing technology that is the basis for modern wi-fi systems. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, was an Austrian-born film star who also contributed to developing technology that is the basis for wi-fi technology today. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
