Dead Tree Dreams

Three women -- two famous, one virtually unknown -- all used their various talents to leave their mark on history.

Hedy Lamarr, beautiful and brilliant, escaped her marriage to an Austrian arms dealer who was friendly with Hi**er and Mussolini and found her way to Hollywood. While becoming a star of the silver screen, she hid a secret passion: science. Using her knowledge of the N***s' plans gained while at her former husband's side, she helped the Allies develop a weapon guidance system that was the precursor to Bluetooth and Wifi technology we use today.

"The Only Woman in the Room" by Marie Benedict is a fictionalized account based on Lamarr's real experiences.

Edith Head dressed most of the world's greatest motion picture stars over her sixty-year career in Hollywood. A born artist, she talked her way into a job in the wardrobe department of Paramount Studios in the 1920s and never looked back. She won an unprecedented eight Oscars for her designs.

Edith worked on her autobiography, "Edith Head's Hollywood," until she died in 1981. It was completed by journalist Paddy Calistro. The book contains dozens of Edith's sketches, as well as behind-the-scenes photographs from some of Hollywood's greatest films.

Betty Pack's name is not as well-known as the other two women but her contribution is no less significant. In "Cast No Shadow," Mary S. Lovell reveals the secrets Betty gathered using her singular method: seduction. Living in a marriage of convenience with a British career diplomat gave her access to the aristocratic world of international diplomacy and all of its intrigue. She had a knack for knowing which powerful men had the information her spymasters needed and how to seduce them to get it.

Strong, bold, and ahead of their time, all three women serve as inspiration for feminism today.

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