Who's Who? Hedy Lamarr At the beginning of World War II , Lamarr and composer george antheil developed s radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes , which used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of j amming by the Axis powers . she was born in November 9 1914 in Austria-Hungary She was married at the age of 19 to Friedrich Mandl, who despite his Jewish heritage was an arms dealer occasionally hosting such figures as Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini in his home. As the wife, Hedy was to play hostess, which she did, but she also paid attention as the assembled men discussed such things as bombs, airplanes, and radio-controlled torpedoes. Having an aptitude for math and an interest in science, these meetings influenced Hedy greatly.