Storytelling
Narrative Prompt
Prompt
Please tell a fun and engaging story about actress Hedy Lamarr and her patents the basis for WiFi. Make it demonstrate the intelligence of Hedy and her courage to overcome being a stereotype of an actress with no brains.
A sample response done with ChatGPT in 2023 is shown below.
Graphic Novel Prompt
This is a much more sophisticated prompt that generates descriptions of images for a graphic novel. You can see an example graphic-novel story here: Frequency Hopping Graphic Novel
Prompt
I would like to create new graphic novel based around the story of Hedy Lamarr and her work on signal processing.
The story should have about a dozen panels of graphic-novel type drawings. Please use an art deco style drawings that were popular around 1942. The drawing should all be a wide-landscape format.
Your job is to write the overall narrative of the story and then describe in details the images in each story.
You are welcome to use the heady-lamarr-story-v1.md to get started. The story should show Heady Lamarr in a positive superhero-like role and her ability to overcome adversity despite being a woman.
Finally, generalize about the skills needed to be a great engineer and promote change. Our goal is to have you generate the full text of the story, but to turn the story into a graphic novel with many illustrations that explain how the Hedy invited the ideas of frequency shifting.
When appropriate, suggest an wide-landscape drawing that could be inserted into the narrative to make the story a graphic novel. Describe each image in detail and be consistent across all the images in the story for style.
When you describe an image, make sure to mention that it should be a colorful, bright wide-landscape drawing with an art deco design style.
Prompt given to Anthropic Claude 3.7 in Mat 2025.
ChatGPT Response
ChatGPT Said: A Story of Hedy Lamarr, Beauty, Brains, and Bravery
In the golden age of Hollywood, there was a star whose beauty captivated millions. Hedy Lamarr, often called "the most beautiful woman in the world," graced the silver screen with her presence, playing glamorous roles that showcased her elegance and charm. But behind those dazzling eyes and enchanting smile lay a mind that was anything but ordinary.
Hedy's story is one of genius masked by stardom, a tale of how she shattered stereotypes and left a legacy far beyond the confines of a movie set.
The War Effort
The year was 1940, and the world was embroiled in the chaos of World War II. Hedy, who had fled her homeland of Austria to escape the rise of Nazism, was deeply troubled by the devastation she saw. By day, she was the epitome of Hollywood glamour, adored by fans and photographers alike. By night, she worked tirelessly on ideas that could change the course of history.
Hedy was no stranger to technology. Her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, was an Austrian arms manufacturer, and though their marriage was unhappy, Hedy had absorbed a wealth of knowledge about weaponry and communication systems during their time together. This knowledge, combined with her natural curiosity and intelligence, set her apart from her Hollywood peers.
The Problem
One evening, as she listened to a radio broadcast about Allied ships being sunk by German torpedoes, an idea sparked in Hedy's mind. The enemy was jamming the radio signals used to guide torpedoes, rendering them ineffective. Hedy thought, What if there were a way to prevent the enemy from interfering with the signal?
This was no idle question. Hedy, determined to contribute to the war effort, began sketching out solutions.
The Partner
Enter George Antheil, a quirky avant-garde composer who had dabbled in mechanics. Hedy met George at a dinner party, and the two quickly bonded over their shared love of problem-solving. Hedy explained her idea: a "frequency-hopping" system that could prevent radio signals from being intercepted or jammed.
Together, they worked late into the night, turning Hedy's vision into a reality. George brought his knowledge of player pianos to the table, proposing that the frequency changes could be synchronized using a punched paper roll, like the ones used in automated pianos. The result was a revolutionary concept: a secure communication system that jumped between frequencies, making it nearly impossible for enemies to jam or intercept.
The Patent
In 1942, Hedy and George were awarded a U.S. patent for their invention, officially titled a "Secret Communication System." However, when they presented their idea to the U.S. Navy, they were dismissed. The Navy couldn't fathom that an actress and a composer could contribute to military technology. Instead, they suggested Hedy use her fame to sell war bonds.
Undeterred, Hedy threw herself into the war effort in other ways, raising millions of dollars in bonds. But she never forgot her invention, even as the world dismissed her intelligence.
The Legacy
Decades later, the world caught up with Hedy Lamarr. The principles of her frequency-hopping system became the foundation for modern wireless communication technologies, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Today, her contributions are celebrated not only in the world of technology but also as a reminder that brilliance knows no boundaries---be it gender, profession, or appearance.
Hedy Lamarr proved that being a Hollywood icon and a technological pioneer were not mutually exclusive. Her story is one of courage, intelligence, and determination, an enduring reminder that the world should never underestimate a brilliant mind, no matter where it shines.
Epilogue
In 1997, long after Hedy had retired from the spotlight, she received the prestigious Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award for her contributions to technology. When asked about her dual legacy as a star and an inventor, she famously quipped, "Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid. But to be innovative---that's something else entirely."
And with that, Hedy Lamarr secured her place in history---not just as a beauty, but as a trailblazer who changed the world.