An Actress and a Pianist developed the basis for Wi-Fi

During World War II, an actress— Hedy Lamarr— and a pianist —George Antheil— decided to develop a solution to enemy forces jamming Allied radio signals.

They developed frequency-hopping spread spectrum which became the basis for today’s wireless technology including Wi-Fi & GPS.

It was their cross-pollination of different fields which allowed them to work effectively:

• George Antheil previously worked on synchronized self-playing pianolas.

• Hedy Lamarr, besides being a famous actress, loved inventing.

Additionally, Lamarr helped design streamlined aero planes for Howard Hughes, an aviation tycoon.

Combining the acoustic knowledge Antheil learned from his pianolas with Lamar’s familiarity with aircrafts, their joint invention used a mechanism similar to piano player rolls to synchronize the changes between the 88 frequencies–not coincidentally, this is also the standard number of piano keys–and called for a high-altitude observation plane to steer a radio-controlled torpedo from above.

Lamarr & Antheil combined their interests to develop something new, and this happens more often than we think.

Studies have found that Nobel Prize-winning scientists are about 25 times more likely to sing, dance or act than the average scientist. They are also 17 times more likely to create visual art, 12 times more likely to write poetry and four times more likely to be a musician.

In addition to starring on the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr, a famous polymath, also co-developed a transmission method that has carried into today’s technologies (Credit: Alamy)

Nurturing our Inner Polymath:

Before, access to information and mentors determined if you could go into other fields, and the internet has changed everything.

Today, information and mentors are accessible at any time. It’s a lot easier cross-pollinate domains and develop polymathy in areas where polymaths never existed before. For example, an A.I researcher who is experienced in psychology and sociology or a schoolteacher experienced in digital and web design.

To understand the reason behind combining different fields, think from the perspective of working on one project for a span of 3 months. Those who dedicate their focus to a single goal will feel burnout and frustration. Which is why science suggests you take a step away and do something else to recover.

What makes polymaths different is they completely step away and let their mind do the work in the background while their attention shifts to a different interest. Einstein famously plays the violin if he gets stuck with a physics problem. Alan Turing ran long-distance to clear his mind. Even students regularly switch activities to clear their mind and return to the problem afterwards. It makes better use of your energy and effort to switch to an enjoyable activity.

Becoming a Polymath doesn’t require to you reach the abilities of Da Vinci. It requires a few tools:

• Curiosity

• Open-mindedness

• Nutrition

• Creativity

• Critical Thinking

With the Internet, you can be a Polymath by exceling in different domains and developing new ways to combine them. If you don’t believe that’s possible, look at the number of online creators who’ve combined different fields from Psychology in Marketing to Physician and Storyteller.

Being Polymathic is our natural state of being. Let your curiosity, passion, and interest be your beacon, and personal development be your fuel. See where your journey takes you.