Hidden Figures

 Recently I watched an exciting movie "Hidden Figures" which was about three of the great female mathematicians, Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Goble Johnson and Mary Jackson. It was a very inspiring movie which told about the life and struggles of the three mathematicians, and their work contribution in NASA.

Katherine Goble Johnson (August 26, 1918 - February 24, 2020) was an African-American mathematician who was well known for solving the complex manual calculations such as orbital mechanics which led to the first and following US crewed spacecraft. The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist.

Mary Jackson (April 9, 1921 - February 11, 2005) was a mathematician and an aerospace engineer at NASA. In 1958, after much struggle to enroll for engineering classes, she successfully became NASA's first African female engineer.

Dorothy Vaughan, (September 20, 1910 - November 10, 2008) was a mathematician and a human computer who worked in the Langley Research Centre. Later in 1949, she became acting supervisor of the West Area Computers, the first African-American woman to receive a promotion and supervise a group of staff at the center.

The movie is based on the biographical book, "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race" written by Margot Lee Shetterly, which tells the story of these determined mathematicians, who challenged biases and discrimination, worked tirelessly and achieved in their areas of expertise. Such an inspiration.