Discover the brilliant life of Hedy Lamarr in this full-color graphic novel. This talented film actress became an influential scientist with her invention of a secret radio system in the early 1940s, a building block of today's wireless communications. With comic book-style illustrations and short, engaging sentences, this biography will inspire, entertain, and inform young readers about an individual who made a significant contribution to society. This must-have graphic novel includes a bibliography, extended reading list, glossary, and further Internet sources.

"This is an artist book that tells the story of how two unlikely inventors, inspired by the mechanics of a player piano, invented the frequency hopping spread spectrum. Determined to help with the war efforts, Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr and avant-garde composer George Antheil turned to music for inspiration to create a secret communication system for torpedoes."--Artist statement

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes delivers a remarkable story of science history: how a ravishing film star and an avant-garde composer invented spread-spectrum radio, the technology that made wireless phones, GPS systems, and many other devices possible. Beginning at a Hollywood dinner table, Hedy's Folly tells a wild story of innovation that culminates in U.S. patent number 2,292,387 for a "secret communication system." Along the way Rhodes weaves together Hollywood’s golden era, the history of Vienna, 1920s Paris, weapons design, music, a tutorial on patent law and a brief treatise on transmission technology. Narrated with the rigor and charisma we've come to expect of Rhodes, it is a remarkable narrative adventure about spread-spectrum radio's genesis and unlikely amateur inventors collaborating to change the world.

Step into the fascinating world of Hedy Lamarr, a silver screen legend whose dazzling beauty often overshadowed her profound intellect. In "Hedy Lamarr: Inventor Beyond the Silver Screen," we uncover the life of an extraordinary woman known as much for her starring roles in Hollywood's Golden Age as for her revolutionary contributions to technology. This book delves into Lamarr's journey from Vienna to the bright lights of Hollywood, where she became an icon of cinema. Beyond her cinematic allure, however, lay a brilliant inventor whose pioneering work would come to influence the very fabric of modern communication. Amidst the backdrop of World War II, Lamarr co-developed a secret communication system intended to defeat Nazi interference-a system that has since laid the groundwork for contemporary wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi. Explore the dual facets of Lamarr's legacy: from her enigmatic presence in films like Algiers and Samson and Delilah to her indelible impact on today's digital world. Through personal insights, historical contexts, and an analysis of her patented technology, this book celebrates the untold story of Hedy Lamarr's genius, revealing a woman whose beauty was matched by her boundless creativity and intellect. "Hedy Lamarr: Inventor Beyond the Silver Screen" is a tribute to an unsung hero, a reminder that innovation knows no bounds, and a testament to the remarkable contributions of a woman who was ahead of her time.

The 21st Century Junior Library Women Innovators series highlights the contributions of women to STEM fields. Hedy Lamarr and Classified Communication examines the life of this important woman and her contributions to modern technology like Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Sidebars encourage readers to engage in the material by asking deeper questions or conducting individual research. Full color photos, a glossary, and a listing of additional resources all enhance the learning experience.

From her native Austria to the limelight of Hollywood, Hedy Lamarr was constantly bombarded with societal limitations and personal obstacles—including her own beauty. Only through courage, ambition, and intellect would she rise to become both a cultural icon and an unparalleled inventor whose creations would alter the course of history. Creators William Roy and Sylvain Dorange use the graphic novel medium to recount the biography of a genius inventor who happened to be “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”. From a childhood filled with curiosity and ambition despite the stereotypes imposed on her, to an abusive marriage that she ingeniously escaped from, to finding her way to stardom in the City of Angels in the face of rampant sexism and harassment, Hedy Lamarr would not only become a glamorous star of the Golden Age of Hollywood, alongside icons like Judy Garland and Clark Gable, but also an unparalleled inventor. She would fashion designs to revolutionize the planes built by Howard Hughes, and come up with a secret communication system that helped the Allies against the Nazis, a technology that would become the blueprint for what we know today as "Wi-Fi." A visionary that never feared going after her goals and defied convention at every turn, Hedy Lamarr was a true woman of wonder.