In 1941, Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil created the technology that later inspired Bluetooth

When we consider the technologies used in today’s wireless world, it is common for us to think about lab researchers and computer engineers. What should be noted, though, is the fact that one of the most remarkable ideas underlying current wireless devices emerged in the minds of a Hollywood actress and an avant-garde composer. Although initially it was supposed to help torpedoes find their way in the Second World War, the technique laid the foundations of current short-range communications.

The path from their invention to its use in mobile phone chips has been long and circuitous. Their invention went largely unnoticed for decades between the worlds of science and engineering.