A Woman to Know: Katherine Johnson
I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. — Katherine
(Image via NASA)
When we didn't know if astronauts blasted into outer space would come back safely — if at all — Katherine Johnson was there. Throughout the early years of the NASA space program, Katherine mapped the paths of astronauts on the moon, on space stations and beyond. She was the one at the computer (then a typewriter-like counting machine), plotting the small steps (as well as the giant leaps) for mankind.
Add to your library list:
Rise of the Rocket Girls (Nathalia Holt)
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story (Margot Lee Shetterly)
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (Rachel Ignofosky)
Read more:
"Hidden" No More: Katherine Johnson, a black NASA pioneer, finds acclaim at 98 (The Washington Post)
The girl who loved to count (NASA)
The Human Computers Project (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities)
NASA Trailblazer and STEM icon (Amy Poehler's Smart Girls)
Career Oral History (National Visionary Leadership Project)
A Lifetime of STEM (NASA)
Watch more:
Katherine G. Johnson (MAKERS)
Thank you to Lauren Katz for originally recommending today's woman to know! And also to all of you who messaged me last night when Katherine GOT ONSTAGE AT THE OSCARS HOLY WOW.
*~Send your recommendations for women to know! Reply to this newsletter with your lady and she could be featured in an upcoming edition.~* You can browse the archive here.
Add to your library list:
Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations (Georgina Howell)
Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell (Janet Wallach)