3. Hedy Lamarr

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women in tech

Photo Credit: mashable.com

A true innovator, Lamarr is maybe most famous for being a film actress and pin-up girl in the 1930s and 40s. But she was also a pioneer in wireless technologies. Working with George Anthiel, she deveoped a radio guidance system for torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology. The principles of her technology can now be found in modern GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth devices. She was given a special award in 1997 for “trail-blazing development of a technology that has become a key component of wireless data systems.”