Exciting events will be taking place surrounding the incredibly interesting life of movie star and scientist Hedy Lamarr, hosted by K-State’s Theatre department and Primary Texts Seminar instructor Dr. Shannon Skelton. 

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born actress and self-taught inventor whose life bridged Hollywood glamour and wartime technological innovation. Rising to fame in the 1930s and 1940s as one of MGM’s most celebrated screen stars, she was often marketed as “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Yet during World War II she co-developed, with composer George Antheil, a frequency-hopping spread spectrum system designed to prevent the jamming of Allied torpedoes. Although not implemented at the time, the patent laid conceptual groundwork for later wireless communication technologies, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. In later decades her scientific contribution was more fully recognized, reshaping her legacy from cinematic icon to pioneering technologist.

Events include a roundtable (2.24.26 at 7:30 p.m. in Union Room 228), a film screening of “Ecstasy,” in which she starred (2.25.26 at 7:30 p.m. in McCain Auditorium, Loft Room 353), and “Hedy,” a play about her fascinating life, especially her inventions (2.26.26 at 7:30 p.m. in McCain Auditorium). See the picture below for a QR code and more information.