description George Antheil Overview
George Antheil was an American composer whose work crossed music, technology, and mechanical experimentation. With the actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, he co-developed a frequency-hopping communication system intended to make radio-controlled torpedoes harder to jam. Their U.S. patent, granted in 1942, described synchronized changes between radio frequencies.
Antheil is therefore relevant both to twentieth-century experimental music and to the history of spread-spectrum communication.
help George Antheil FAQ
What did George Antheil invent with Hedy Lamarr?
They co-developed a frequency-hopping communication system intended to make radio-controlled torpedoes harder to jam. Their U.S. patent, Secret Communication System, was granted as US 2,292,387 on August 11, 1942. [National WWII Museum](https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/hedy-lamarrs-wwii-invention-helped-shape-modern-tech)
How did George Antheil's music influence the invention?
Antheil's experience with mechanical and player-piano systems suggested a way to synchronize rapid changes in radio frequency. The patent used synchronized control mechanisms, turning a musical-machine idea into a wartime communications design. [National WWII Museum](https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/hedy-lamarrs-wwii-invention-helped-shape-modern-tech)
Did Antheil and Lamarr invent Wi-Fi?
No. Their 1942 patent was for a jamming-resistant radio link for torpedo control, not a Wi-Fi product. Later wireless systems use related spread-spectrum ideas, but saying they directly invented Wi-Fi overstates the historical link. [National WWII Museum](https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/hedy-lamarrs-wwii-invention-helped-shape-modern-tech)
Was George Antheil only a composer?
No. He was an American composer who also worked on mechanical and communications inventions, most famously the frequency-hopping system with Lamarr. The invention is why his name appears in patent and technology histories alongside his music.
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