Katherine Johnson

American mathematician

Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) was an American mathematician.

FAST FACTS:

• She was one of the first black students to be integrated into the graduate program at West Virginia University
• Taught for several years
• Worked at NASA, where she analyzed the trajectories of a rocket to put the first American into space
• Helped to put the first American into Earth’s orbit
• Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015

If you want to learn more about Katherine Johnson, check out:

• https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Johnson-mathematician
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/science/katherine-johnson-dead.html