This woman was an inventor. She created an invention that helped enable Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth. She was also a Hollywood Starlet. Her name was Hedy Lamarr.
The reason I chose Hedy Lamarr as my first woman is because men simply found her too beautiful to be smart. As my grandmother used to say, "Many a tear rolls down a pretty girl's cheek" and this is part of the reason why. Beauty and brains are not mutually exclusive.
In the 1940's she invented frequency hopping device that jumped around radio frequencies to avoid a third party from jamming the signal. She donated this device to the United States military to fight the Nazis. The kicker? The military didn't use it. Why not? They, like many of the men in her life, discounted her intellect because she was just too pretty. It wasn't until after World War II that the device was used and it paved the way for what all of us now take for granted.
Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler was born in Vienna on November 9, 1914. She didn't receive recognition until 1997. Three years later, she died.
I can't confirm this but something tells me that JK Rowling had Hedy Lamarr in mind when she named Harry's owl, Hedwig.
Thank you Ms. Lamarr for your outstanding contribution to our civilization. I will do everything in my power to make sure women are given the same opportunities as men and I will make sure to provide recognition where it is due regardless of gender.
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