Beauty and the Geek: Hedy Lamarr Remembered for Broadcasting Invention

Historian Richard Rhodes wants to make sure Hedy Lamarr stays famous for more than just her looks. His new biography of the actress, out Tuesday, highlights her lesser-known scientific and intellectual side. In 1941, Lamarr was co-inventor of a “spread-spectrum radio” system, designed to better guide World War II torpedos while evading detection by randomly switching frequencies; it wasn’t used at the time, but became a precedent for modern wireless communications. Here’s an interview with Rhodes, from NPR.