What it takes for an invention idea to achieve commercial success

1940s Hollywood darling Hedy Lamarr was best known for starring alongside James Stewart and Judy Garland in films such as Come Live with Me (1941) and Ziegfeld Girl (1941). But more recently, the light has been cast on her work as a brilliant inventor, which had been overshadowed by scandals and the glitz and glamor of celebrity life at the height of her career as an actress. During World War II, Lamarr’s desire to help the military come up with a secure communication system led to the invention of a radio guidance system using frequency-hopping technology, making American radio-guided weapons more resilient to detection and jamming. At the time, many doubted Lamarr’s legitimacy as an inventor, even accusing her of stealing the idea from her husband, munitions manufacturer Fritz Mandl. https://campuspress.yale.edu/tribune/what-it-takes-for-an-invention-idea-to-achieve-commercial-success/