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The 'Human Computer' Behind the Moon Landing Was a Black Woman (thedailybeast.com)
Reader bricko writes: The 'Human Computer' Behind the Moon Landing Was a black woman (video). She calculated the trajectory of man's first trip to the moon by hand, and was such an accurate mathematician that John Glenn asked her to double-check NASA's computers. To top it off, she did it all as a black woman in the 1950s and 60s, when women at NASA were not even invited to meetings. And you've probably never heard of her. Meet Katherine Johnson, the African American woman who earned the nickname 'the human computer' at NASA during its space race golden age.
We're not allowed to talk about race or skin colour because that's racism.
Except when someone non-white does something, in which case we need to have the race or skin colour shoved in our face.
I do understand it's amazing given the decade it happened in, but still.
It's interesting how quickly what was a job title for someone, became so quickly a term used solely the device. Where in the 1940's a "computer" was someone who did math, then by the 1960's, someone who did the same job as her peers 20 years prior was given that as a nickname. http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/hist...
I be fair, I couldn't name anyone else on the Apollo engineering team, either.
I have no doubt they have good intentions writing this, though. But still.
Good for who did during .
That way we can get all the outrage and praise in all at once.
Wheel of Time: Book by Book and Sumview (summary review) Bigdady92 style: http://bigdady92.blogspot.com/
Let's name all the other people who worked with her.
What do you mean, we can't? There's your answer.
It's sort of a first-man-on-the-moon scenario.
I mean, if you are bold enough to spout racially regressive ideology, maybe attach your mostly anonymizing screen name to it. Many of the Anonymous Coward comments in this thread are part of the reason why the accomplishments of minorities and women continue to be seen as remarkable. Racism and sexism are endemic within tech industries, they are part of what drive the high turnover rate for minorities. I for one, choose not to work in private industry as I don't find the casual racism that exists there conducive to my quality of life. You ACs want to tell us one more thing about the negro?
Is it really necessary to bring the gender component into this?
She is a brilliant person who was instrumental in our space program. Isn't that enough?
There, fixed that for you.
Seriously, as human beings, the people we look up to and emulate, the people who inspire us, are people with whom we identify in some way. The details are what allow us to identify with them.
The particular person in this story is more readily inspirational to women, and to blacks, because they can identify with those facets of her identity.
There are other details of her life that would add additional groups that could identify with her, people from her town, people who went to her school, people who share her hobbies, etc.
If I reduce all people who do remarkable things to just 'persons' they are all amazing, but I can not identify with or emulate them, that requires details, handles for my emotions to grab on to.
Currently I am looking for remarkable things done by mid 40s out of shape men, because I can identify with that. That means I can do great things too.
On a tangent this is also why biographies are crucial reading. History is only history until you can identify with the individuals who made it.
So in this case, you aren't black, or a woman, so it doesn't apply? Maybe you need to take 20 minutes and see if there is something you have in common with this person.
(wiki......) Damn this woman was the bomb! She did a bunch of inspirational and important stuff before she went to work at NASA. Went to college to be a teacher, went back to grad school to desegregate it, spent 15+ years teaching, all before deciding to be a mathematician.
Not really a lot for me to identify with, wikipedia doesn't have enough details. She lost her first husband to brain cancer, there is another detail that means something to a specific group of people. She sang in the church choir, that is something to some people. She had three daughters. I have a daughter. There are definitely things that she and I share in the parenting of daughters.
Wow, raising three daughters with energy left to accomplish things. I identify with that.
So is it really necessary to bring race or gender into this? Yes, it really is. Without them she is an achiever, with them she is a role model.
"Proximity to wonder has blunted our perception and appreciation of it" --Tim Hartnell in 'Exploring ARTIFICIAL INTELLI
Actually it IS amazing that a person who is BLACK and a WOMAN could get into such an important position back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Today we recognize it as foolish and stupid to prejudge someone’s abilit to DO MATH (for instance) on the basis of gender or skin color. But back then?
What this tells us is that she’s fucking awesome, more awesome than you and me. She’s so awesome that people at NASA in an era that only valued white men simply were unable to deny the level of her skill. To break through the prejudice required that she have skill way beyond what a white male would have needed to get into the same job.
So yeah. Kudos to this woman for her intelligence, skill, and persistence in an era that would have otherwise begrudged her a job as a toilet cleaner.