Hedy Lamarr: A Film Star by Day… an Inventor by Night
Hedy Lamarr was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. At home, she invented things — and in 1942 she and George Antheil patented a way for radio signals to jump between frequencies. Learn five B1 words with the true story of Hedy Lamarr.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
By day, she was one of the most famous faces in Hollywood.
By night, she sat at a drawing table and invented things.
One of her ideas waited twenty years before anyone used it.
This is the story of Hedy Lamarr.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is a very famous actor or singer.
She was a big Hollywood .
. sends sounds and messages through the air, without wires.
could guide a to a ship.
. A is a sound, light or wave that carries a message.
An enemy could block the .
. A is one exact channel that a uses.
Their idea was to change the again and again.
. A is an official paper that says an invention belongs to you.
In 1942, they got a for their idea.
Now, one pattern: be known as and be known for.
Known as gives a name or a role.
Known for gives the reason someone is famous.
She was known as a film .
Today, she is also known for her invention.
Ready? Let's begin.
Hedy Lamarr was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1914.
At five, she took apart her music box to see how it worked.
On long walks, her father explained to her how machines worked.
She became an actress in Europe.
In 1937, she sailed to America.
On the ship, she got a contract with a big Hollywood studio.
The studio gave her a new name: Hedy Lamarr.
She was a big Hollywood .
She was known as the most beautiful woman in the world.
But few people knew her secret.
At home, she had a table just for inventing.
For a famous pilot, she suggested a faster wing shape, after studying fast fish and birds.
In 1940, the Second World War had begun.
could guide a to a ship.
But there was a problem.
An enemy could block the , and the would miss.
Hedy had an idea.
At a dinner party, she met George Antheil, a composer.
Their idea was to change the again and again, very fast, in a secret pattern.
Paper rolls, like in a self-playing piano, could do it.
88 , like 88 piano keys!
In 1942, they got a for their idea.
They gave it to the American navy.
But the navy said no.
She was known as a film , so she should sell war bonds instead.
One night, she sold about $7 million of them.
Years passed. The ran out, and she never earned any money from it.
Then, in 1962, American navy ships used a system based on ideas like hers.
In 1997, at 82, she received an important award for her invention.
She said: "Well, it's about time."
She died in 2000.
Ideas like hers are part of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
Today, she is also known for her invention.
Let's review. She was a big Hollywood .
could guide a to a ship.
An enemy could block the .
Their idea was to change the again and again.
In 1942, they got a for their idea.
And remember: she was known as a film .
Hedy Lamarr's story teaches us: people are much more than the way they look.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
star noun
a very famous actor or singer
“She was a big Hollywood star.”
radio noun
a way of sending sounds and messages through the air, without wires
“Radio could guide a torpedo to a ship.”
signal noun
a sound, light or wave that carries a message
“An enemy could block the radio signal.”
frequency noun
one exact channel that a radio signal uses (plural: frequencies)
“Their idea was to change the frequency again and again.”
patent noun
an official paper that says an invention belongs to you
“In 1942, they got a patent for their idea.”
torpedo noun
a long weapon that moves under the water to hit a ship
“An enemy could make a torpedo miss.”
inventor noun
a person who makes something new that did not exist before
“Today, she is known as an inventor too.”
wireless adjective
working without wires, using radio waves
“Wi-Fi is a wireless technology.”
Grammar in the story
be known as + name/role · be known for + reason
We use it for: to say what people call someone, or why someone is famous
- She was known as a film star.
- Today, she is also known for her invention.
- Vienna is known for its music.
From the story
- She was known as a film star.
- Today, she is also known for her invention.
Find it in the story 9 times
Your turn
She was known the most beautiful woman in the world.
Today, she is also known her invention.
George Antheil was known a composer.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Do you know any actors or singers who are also good at something very different? How many wireless things do you use every day?
After you watch: Write three sentences with known as and known for. For example: My town is known for its beaches. My grandfather was known as the best cook in the family.
Think about it: For many years, people only saw Hedy Lamarr’s beautiful face, not her clever mind. Do people sometimes judge others only by how they look? What can we do about it?
