The Hidden Figure — Katherine Johnson

Since the industrial revolution, technology has continued to evolve. Few remember the names of men who brought forth technological developments. Fewer still know of the women who did. Through our series, we want to shine a light on the brilliant women who helped us evolve as a civilization. Without them, many aspects of modern technology would not exist.

If you watched the film Hidden Figures, you’ll know who Katharine Johnson is. But she was much more than the character played by Taraji P. Henson. Johnson’s impact on technology was huge, and her work basically put a man on the moon.

Katharine Johnson was born Creola Katherine Coleman on August 26, 1918, in West Virginia. Ever since she was a child, Katherine showed strong mathematical abilities. She loved mathematics. She went to school in Greenbrier County, which did not offer public school for African-American students past the eighth grade. To help her continue her education, Katherine’s family arranged for her to attend high school in Institute, West Virginia. Her academic brilliance was on display when she enrolled in high school at the age of 10.

She then attended West Virginia State College at the age of 15. As a student, she took every math course offered by the college. Multiple professors mentored her, including the chemist and mathematician Angie Turner King, and W. Schieffelin Claytor. Claytor added new mathematics courses just for Johnson. She graduated summa cum laude in 1937, with degrees in mathematics and French, at age 18. She was an expert in mathematics, and took on a teaching job at a black public school in Marion, Virginia.

Katharine got married to her first husband, James Goble, in 1939, and decided to focus on her family. When her husband became sick, she started teaching again to support her family. She then decided to pursue a career as a research mathematician. At the time, this was a difficult field
for women to enter. Her African-American heritage made things even harder. She had to combat racism, prejudice, and discrimination throughout her career. But, she persevered.

In 1952, through a relative, Katharine heard that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), was hiring mathematicians. At the Virginia branch of NACA, African- American mathematicians were hired for their Guidance and Navigation Department. Johnson was offered a job from NACA, and she accepted it in 1953.

From 1953 to 1958, Katherine Johnson worked as a computer. At the time, the term computer was used to describe someone whose area in work was in computation, analyzing topics such as gust alleviation for aircraft. They were basically human computers. She was originally assigned to the West Area Computers section supervised by mathematician Dorothy Vaughan. Johnson
was reassigned to the Guidance and Control Division of Langley’s Flight Research Division. It was staffed by white male engineers. In keeping with state racial segregation laws present at the time, Johnson and the other African-American women in the computing pool were required to
work, eat, and use restrooms that were separate from those of their white peers. Despite her success and brilliance, she was not allowed to attend editorial meetings, which decided the actions of NACA.

NACA became NASA in 1958, and adopted actual digital computers. Although the times were changing, discrimination and racial prejudice were still present. She did not give up though, and began to push to be present at editorial meetings, much to the chagrin of her white, male
colleagues. She was finally allowed in, and began to change the way people viewed her.

She successfully calculated the trajectory of several space missions. She is famously known for having calculated the trajectory of the 1961 space flight of Alan Shepard, the first American in space. She plotted backup navigation charts for astronauts in case of failure. In a time where men
dominated STEM related fields, Katharine’s work stood out.

She calculated the trajectory for the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the Moon. During the Moon Landing, she and a few others crowded around a small television screen watching the first steps on the Moon in the Pocono Mountains.

After her retirement, Katharine Johnson became a speaker, encouraging students to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She co-authored 26 scientific papers. Her social influence as a pioneer in space science and computing shines
through the honors she received and her status as a role model. In 2015, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was one of the 17 people in American history to be awarded this honor. Her pioneering example of a woman in tech inspired many to
follow in her footsteps. Her work in space aircraft, along with that of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, inspired the film Hidden Figures in 2016.

Katherine Johnson died on February 24th , 2020, at the age of 101. Because of her brilliance in mathematics and her work as an aerospace technologist, humanity was able to reach new heights. If space was the final frontier, she helped us get there. She refused to be limited by society’s
expectations of her, and expanded the boundaries of humanity’s reach.

Sources-
https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography