"Hidden Figures" | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

"Hidden Figures"

The Women who helped shape NASA

109
"Hidden Figures"
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81TWot1OMvL.jpg

The upcoming movie “Hidden Figures” tells the untold story of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson who transcended gender, race, and professional boundaries with their brilliance, solidifying their place in U.S history. The movie tells of the Unites States race against Russia to put a man in space, highlighting the service of these three African-American female mathematicians who were known as “human computers”. Their brains were behind one of the greatest accomplishments in U.S history. Using their calculations, NASA was able to catch up to the “Space Race”, and John Glen became the first American astronaut to make a complete orbit of the Earth. The film is based on Margot Lee Shutterly's book, “Hidden Figures”. Her father worked as a research scientist at NASA. In 2014, Shutterly sold the rights to her book, and now we have a film that stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe. Let’s take a closer look at the incredible women behind this story.

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan


Dorothy Johnson Vaughan was born on September 20, 1910 in Kansas City, MO. She obtained her B.A in Mathematics from Wilberforce University in 1929. Vaughan was a Math teacher at Robert Russa Moton High School before leaving 1943 to join the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory during the height of World War II. She worked as a mathematician for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which is now known as NASA. In 1949, Dorothy Vaughan was promoted to lead the West Area Computing group, making her the NACA's first Black supervisor, and one of the NACA's few female supervisors

. Find more on her bio here.

Mary Jackson


Mary Jackson was born April 9, 1921 in Hampton, Virginia. She earned her Bachelor's of Science degrees in Mathematics and Physical Science from Hampton Institute in 1942. She served as a Mathematician at (NACA), where she specialized in reducing data from wind tunnel experiments and from actual aircraft data on the many flight experiments NACA was involved with. Jackson was one of the first women to have her title changed from Mathematician to Engineer. After serving 30 years at NASA as an Engineer, Jackson decided to apply for an Administrative Professional position where she was sent to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC for specialized training. It is stated that “She was effective in being a very successful Affirmative Action Program Manager and Federal Women’s Program Manager, initiating many changes and bringing to management’s attention the accomplishments of many minorities and women and was instrumental in the hiring of highly-qualified individuals.”


Katherine Johnson


Katherine Johnson was born August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. According to NASA, Johnson was a research mathematician who was simply fascinated by numbers from an early age. She graduated high school at age 14, and college at age 18. At West Virginia University, Johnson obtained her B.A in Mathematics. Johnson joined Langley Research Center in 1953, where her specialty was calculating the trajectories for space shots which determined the timing for launches, including the “Mercury mission” and “Apollo 11”, the mission to the moon. In 2015, Johnson was awarded the President’s Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.


Check out the trailer for "Hidden Figures" below:


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

The Unwritten Rules Of "Talking"

What is "talking?" How does one "talk?"

5993
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774868
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

1775
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments