What do movie star Hedy Lamarr, avant-garde composer George Antheil, and an Austrian arms merchant called Fritz Mandl have in common? The answer is spread spectrum radio- a revolutionary innovation based on the transmittal of communications signals over different frequencies. Beginning with an introduction at a Hollywood dinner table, Hedy's Folly tells a wild story of innovation that culminates in U.S. patent number 2,292,387, which was granted to Hedy Kiesler Markey (aka Hedy Lamarr) and Antheil in August 1942, for a "secret communication system." Narrated with the rigor and charisma we've come to expect of Rhodes, it is the remarkable story of spread spectrum radio's genesis and a riveting book about unlikely amateur inventors collaborating to change the world. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes delivers a remarkable story of science history- how a ravishing film star and an avant-garde composer invented spread-spectrum radio, the technology that made wireless phones, GPS systems, and many other devices possible. Beginning at a Hollywood dinner table, Hedy's Folly tells a wild story of innovation that culminates in U.S. patent number 2,292,387 for a "secret communication system." Along the way Rhodes weaves together Hollywood's golden era, the history of Vienna, 1920s Paris, weapons design, music, a tutorial on patent law and a brief treatise on transmission technology. Narrated with the rigor and charisma we've come to expect of Rhodes, it is a remarkable narrative adventure about spread-spectrum radio's genesis and unlikely amateur inventors collaborating to change the world.