Happy Birthday to Mathematician Katherine Johnson. August 26 2019
Happy 101st birthday to "Hidden Figures" mathematician Katherine Johnson. One of the earliest women to join NASA, Johnson's skills in celestial navigation were renowned. Among other mathematical feats, she calculated -- by hand -- the launch window and trajectory for the 1961 space flight of Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the Moon. For her contributions to the space programs and for blazing a trail for women and African Americans at NASA, Johnson was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian award, by President Barack Obama in 2015.
NASA also dedicated a research building in Johnson's honour at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. At the dedication ceremony, "Hidden Figures" author Margot Lee Shetterly observed: "At every fork, her talent, her hard work and her character pulled her toward her destiny. At every turn, she made a choice to become the protagonist in her own story and then of ours... You work changed our history and your history has changed our future.”
To share Katherine Johnson's extraordinary story with children and teens, 'A Mighty Girl' have showcased the best books on her life and impact for all ages in our new blog post at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=20192
For two wonderful picture books about Katherine Johnson for ages 5 to 9, we highly recommend "Counting on Katherine" (https://www.amightygirl.com/counting-on-katherine) and "A Computer Called Katherine" (https://www.amightygirl.com/a-computer-called-katherine)
Young fans of Katherine Johnson may enjoy the Barbie doll sculpted in her likeness at https://www.amightygirl.com/katherine-johnson-doll -- and the early chapter book for ages 6 to 8 at https://www.amightygirl.com/katherine-johnson
Katherine Johnson has also just released her first autobiography, "Reaching for the Moon," for ages 10 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/reaching-for-the-moon
Reposted from - A Mighty Girl.