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 Prev Event Book Discussion Group: "Hedy's Folly" by Richard Rhodes Next Event 

Hedy’s Folly is a riveting book that follows the true story of Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-American actress born in 1913, who was celebrated for her great beauty and later, her great mathematical talents. The book follows Lamarr's unhappy marriage to a Nazi arms dealer, her escape to America at the start of World War II, and her introduction to composer George Antheil at a Hollywood dinner table culminating in a U.S. patent for a jam-proof radio guidance system for torpedoes. As a major contract star of MGM's "Golden Age", she gained fame for her beauty and risk-taking after starring in Gustav Machatý's risque film, Ecstasy. More importantly, her contribution as a co-inventor for an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping ensures that she lives on in our everyday usage of modern wireless communication technology.