American mathematician
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External Websites
- NASA - Biography of Katherine Johnson
- Space.com - Katherine Johnson: Pioneering NASA mathematician
- The West Virginia Encyclopedia - Katherine Johnson
- Women and the American Story - Life Story: Katherine Johnson (1918–2020)
- West Virginia State University - Katherine Johnson
- Official Site of the Katherine Johnson Foundation
- The HistoryMakers - Biography of Katherine G. Johnson
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Katherine Johnson - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Katherine Johnson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
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Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- NASA - Biography of Katherine Johnson
- Space.com - Katherine Johnson: Pioneering NASA mathematician
- The West Virginia Encyclopedia - Katherine Johnson
- Women and the American Story - Life Story: Katherine Johnson (1918–2020)
- West Virginia State University - Katherine Johnson
- Official Site of the Katherine Johnson Foundation
- The HistoryMakers - Biography of Katherine G. Johnson
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Katherine Johnson - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Katherine Johnson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Also known as: Katherine Coleman, Katherine Goble
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
Quick Facts
- Née:
- Katherine Coleman
- Also known as (1939–56):
- Katherine Goble
- Born:
- August 26, 1918, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S.
- Died:
- February 24, 2020, Newport News, Virginia (aged 101)
- Awards And Honors:
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015)
- Role In:
- Apollo 11
See all related content →
Top Questions
How wasKatherine Johnson influential?
How wasKatherine Johnson influential?
Katherine Johnson’s knowledge of mathematics was instrumental in the return of the Apollo astronauts from the Moon to Earth.
How didKatherine Johnson inspire other women?
How didKatherine Johnson inspire other women?
In 1939 Johnson was selected to be one of the first three African American students to enroll in a graduate program at West Virginia University. Later she was a member of a group of NASA employees called "computers," made up of African American women who excelled in mathematics and problem-solving.
What was Katherine Johnson’s maiden name?
What was Katherine Johnson’s maiden name?
Katherine Johnson’s maiden name was Coleman. From 1939 to 1956 she was Katherine Goble, having married James Goble. Three years after his death, she married James Johnson.
Katherine Johnson (born August 26, 1918, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S.—died February 24, 2020, Newport News, Virginia) was an American mathematician who calculated and analyzed the flight paths of many spacecraft during her more than three decades with the U.S. space program. Her work helped send astronauts to the Moon.
Coleman’s intelligence and skill with numbers became apparent when she was a child; by the time she was 10 years old, she had started attending high school. In 1937, at age 18, Coleman graduated with highest honours from West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University), earning bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and French. She subsequently moved to Virginia to take a teaching job. In 1939, however, she was selected to be one of the first three African American students to enroll in a graduate program at West Virginia University. She studied math there but soon left after marrying James Goble and deciding to start a family. He died in 1956, and three years later she married James Johnson.
In 1953 she began working at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)’s West Area Computing unit, a group of African American women who manually performed complex mathematical calculations for the program’s engineers. The women, known as the West Computers, analyzed test data and provided mathematical computations that were essential to the success of the early U.S. space program. During this time, NACA was segregated, and the West Computers had to use separate bathrooms and dining facilities. That changed in 1958 when NACA was incorporated into the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which banned segregation.
Britannica QuizNumbers and MathematicsAt NASA Johnson was a member of the Space Task Group. In 1960 she coauthored a paper with one of the group’s engineers about calculations for placing a spacecraft into orbit. It was the first time a woman in her division received credit as an author of a research report. Johnson authored or coauthored 26 research reports during her career.
Johnson also played an important role in NASA’s Mercury program (1961–63) of crewed spaceflights. In 1961 she calculated the path for Freedom 7, the spacecraft that put the first U.S astronaut in space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. The following year, at the request of John Glenn, Johnson verified that the electronic computer had planned his flight correctly. Glenn subsequently made history aboard Friendship 7, becoming the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. Johnson was also part of the team that calculated where and when to launch the rocket for the Apollo 11 mission of 1969, which sent the first three men to the Moon. Johnson later worked on the space shuttle program. She retired from NASA in 1986.
Johnson received numerous awards and honours for her work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015). In 2016 NASA named a building, the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility, after her. That year Margot Lee Shetterly published Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, about the West Computers, including Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. A film based on the book was also released in 2016. Johnson’s memoir, My Remarkable Journey (2021; written with Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore), was published posthumously.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.