Historical Snapshots

Our snapshot biography of actress and inventor, Hedy Lamarr: Some said Hedy Lamarr was the most beautiful woman in the world. Some said she had the most beautiful face they had ever seen. Some just stopped talking mid-sentence, in awe, when she walked into a room. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1914, Hedy was an only child of two loving and devoted parents. She spent time with her mother learning about the arts, and with her father, they explored the city, often stopping to learn about the workings of different machines they came across. Her father spent much time teaching her, developing in her a love and understanding for technology. By five years old, Hedy was taking apart and reassembling gadgets like music boxes at home. But it was acting that captured young Hedy’s heart. Enamored with the art, dedicating herself to the craft, she began to play roles in films. And by her late teens, Hedy was a star. Soon she married. Her husband, infatuated with the star, treated her less like a wife and more as a prize. “I