Skip to content

The University of Iowa Libraries

Skip to content
Go to
InfoHawk+
University of Iowa Libraries University of Iowa Libraries The University of Iowa The University of Iowa Libraries

Sciences Library News

PLEASE NOTE



This post is more than two years old. Read it with that in mind. Thank you.
Image of Katherine Johnson
Feb 28 2020

Katherine Johnson’s Legacy & Oral Histories

Posted on February 28, 2020March 4, 2020 by Laurie Neuerburg
Image of Katherine Johnson
Image Credit: NASA

As recognized through the book and movie Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson was one of the first African American women to work at NASA as a human computer. Born in 1918, she attended a two-room school in West Virginia. She excelled at school and skipped ahead several grades. She earned her bachelor’s degree in French and mathematics at West Virginia State College (now called West Virginia State University) at the age of 18. She worked as a school teacher until moving on to work at Langley Research Center. In 1961, she performed the calculations for the first U.S. human flight into space, checked the computer’s calculations for the first human orbit around the Earth, and continued her impeccable calculations through humankind’s first visit to the moon. She worked for NASA until 1986 and received many awards, including the NASA Lunar Orbiter Award, NASA Special Achievement Awards, and Mathematician of the Year.  In 2015, Johnson was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She died February 24, 2020  at 101 years old, leaving a legacy that lives on as an inspiration to future scientists.

Image of Katherine Johnson receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

 

Watch Katherine Johnson’s video oral histories:

  • The History Maker’s Oral History Interviews with Katherine Johnson (UI students, staff, and faculty only)
  • The National Visionary Leadership Project’s Oral History Archive: Katherine Johnson (Freely available online)

You can also check out Hidden Figures on DVD, watch the streaming video, read the book, and watch NASA’s supplementary videos From Hidden to Modern Figures.

Posted in Math, PhysicsTagged African American woman mathematician, human computer, Katherine G. Johnson, Katherine Johnson, NASA, oral histories, oral history, space science

Post navigation

Iowa City Darwin Day 2020
Yeast of the Dead (Part 1 of Rising Together: Yeast & Humankind)

Categories

  • Astronomy
  • Biology
  • Building info
  • Chemistry
  • Databases
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Events
  • Exhibits
  • Finals Week
  • Geosciences
  • Math
  • Moving
  • Physics
  • Research Data
  • Staff
  • Uncategorized

Archives

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Zoia by Automattic.
University of Iowa Libraries University of Iowa Libraries The University of Iowa The University of Iowa Libraries
  • Contact the Libraries
  • Library locations & hours
  • News & Events
  • Help using the Libraries
  • Assistance for people with disabilities
  • Our diversity statement
  • Thank a Librarian
  • Web site/page feedback OR general suggestions
  • UI Libraries other links UI Libraries in the Internet Archive Use and reuse of UI Libraries web content - Creative Commons Staff SharePoint (authentication required)
  • UI Libraries on social media UI Libraries on Instagram UI Libraries on Facebook UI Libraries on Twitter UI Libraries on Pinterest UI Libraries on Tumblr UI Libraries on YouTube UI Libraries on Flickr UI Libraries blogs
  • 100 Main Library (LIB)
  • 125 West Washington St.
  • Iowa City, IA 52242-1420
  • 319-335-5299 (Service Desk)
  • ©2019 The University of Iowa
  • Give a gift to the Libraries!