Katherine Johnson by SAMA FEDA

Bibliography

fedasam000 — 2025-09-26 17:55:33 UTC

Katherine, Johnson. Reaching for the Moon, The autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson. Katherine Johnson, 2019

When Katherine was 0-2 yrs old

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 19:23:51 UTC

During the first few years of her life, Katherine lived in a farm. The farm was itself was made by her father. They also had to make meals from scratch, while also saving up food for the winter since crops could not grow during that time.

Text evidence: "until I was two, we resided in the country"(pg. 20)

This shows that Katherine once lived outside outside of town.

After Katherine moved to town

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 19:32:49 UTC

During the time Katherine was in Sulphur springs (town she moved to), She started showing signs of being gifted in math. Also because she was so good, she thought others were just slow.

Text evidence: "Charlie was two years older than me, but for some reason he was little slow"(2-3). This shows Katherince thinking her brother was slow because he couldn't understand what katherine thought to be simple math equations, when in reality, she was just brighter in math.

1926, Katherine moved AGAIN

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 19:41:49 UTC

In 1926 Katherines parents wanted better education for their children, so they moved to west Virginia. This was because in west Virginia, resided the west Virginia colored institude, a place where colored people could get an education.

Text evidence: "...Daddy and Mama decided to leave the love and support of their family and community in white Sulphur Springs and uproot us to Institude, West Virginia, home of the West Virginia Colored Institude." (39)

This shows that the whole family moved to get a better education in a different area.

Katherine started high school!

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 19:48:29 UTC

When Katherine was 10 years old she started going to high school. this was not because she was gifted, but also because of her curiosity.

Textual evidence: "I started high school the next year at just ten years old." (52)

This shows evidence of her saying that she started high school herself.

5. Great depression hit in Oct 29 1929

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 19:49:02 UTC

when Katherine was a year into high school, The great depression started, and even though her siblings, mother and father were barely getting by, Katherine still managed to stay in school throughout all of this.

Text evidence: "I was just eleven years old, but I will never forget the great depression, which lasted more than a decade"(59-60)

This shows how old Katherine was when the great depression hit, and her feelings toward it.

Katherine graduated from high school and started college!

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 22:43:44 UTC

Katherine, who managed to stay in high school throughout the whole of the great depression, Graduated in 1932, starting college in the next season: Fall.

Text evidence: "I graduated in the spring of 1932 at age thirteen"(61)

This proves the fact that she indeed graduated in 1932

Katherine met a supportive teacher in college

fedasam000 — 2025-10-26 22:48:24 UTC

After going into college, Katherine wanted to major in French, but she met a teacher, named Dr. Claytor, at the school who said she was talented in math and would be a great mathematician, but katherine still wanted to do french, so she said she'd major in both. Dr. Claytor then went on and reached her everything about math.

"Dr. Claytor made sure I was ready by ensuring that I took all of the math classes I needed" (71)

This shows how supportive Dr Claytor was to Katherine, in fact, if he didn't tell her she was gifted in math, it may have led to her not ever becoming a mathematician.

Katherine Joined the AKA

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 00:34:26 UTC

In 1934, because Katherine had good grades and a high morale, She was invited to join the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA, was basically a club). She then decided to join, and made lots of friends while doing fun activities.

Textual evidence: "during 1936, I was invited to join Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, incorporated"(73)

This shows Katherines thoughts after she was invited.

Katherine graduated from college!

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 00:43:32 UTC

Katherine graduated from college in 1937, earning degrees in both Mathematics and French, earning the highest grade point average of the school at the time.

Textual evidence: "In 1937, I graduated from west Virginia state summa cum laude..." (75)

This show evidence from the text proving my claim.

10. Katherine became a teacher

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 00:44:06 UTC

In 1937, There was still demand for teachers even during the great depression, and the Virginia Colored Institude also needed a teacher to teach math and music, to which they reached out to Katherince for, and she excepted.

Evidence: "That fall of 1937, I started my first teaching assignment" (77)

This shows Katherine talking about her first time teaching, right after graduation at that.

Katherine Married

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 14:47:38 UTC

Katherine eventually decided to marry someone. This because women were only allowed to work after marriage during that time. The person who married katherine was James Goble, and They had 3 kids

Katherine stopped teaching

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 14:50:40 UTC

In the 1940s, Colored people were still descriminated against, and so because of this, Katherine wanted to educate her children, so that they could have better lives in the future. The reason I'm saying this is because Katherine eventually gives up being a teacher to support her children and teach them math

Katherine heard of NASA

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 14:58:01 UTC

In 1952, Katherine heard about jobs for black women, and came across NASA. She heard they were looking for black women mathematicians, in Hampton Virginia. Also although she knew knew this chance was rare, she only considered doing it.

Katherine joined NASA!

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 15:01:37 UTC

In 1953, Katherine eventually joined NASA at the Langley Research center as a "human computer". One of the things she did here were math calculations for engineers, and although this was a great place to work, it was still segregated based on skin color.

15. Katherine became a widow...

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 15:04:11 UTC

In 1956, Katherines husband, James Gobles, died of a brain tumour. This made Katherine a widow who was in her late 30's, even though that is still a young age. She also had to take care of the children, so she did her very best at work.

Outside influence link 1

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 16:25:13 UTC

Summarizes what Katherine did at NASA

Outside influence link 2

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 16:26:43 UTC

Talks about Katherines backstory

Outside influence link 3

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 16:27:38 UTC

Talks about how important Katherine was

Outside influence link 4

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 16:29:09 UTC

This link brings you to a website that tells all about her.

exp. Accomplishments, influences, importance, backstory, ect.

Outside influence link 5

fedasam000 — 2025-10-27 16:30:25 UTC

Talks about Katherines accomplishments.

Katherines work

fedasam000 — 2025-10-28 01:36:28 UTC

After joining NASA, she was tasked with doing calculations, not just being an assistant in bringing in organizing papers, bringing coffee, and etc. This happened a little before 1960

Katherine became a co-author to a research report

fedasam000 — 2025-10-28 01:39:58 UTC

Katherine showcased her usefulness to NASA by becoming a co-author to a research report, and also being the first woman in her division to get credit. All of this happened in 1960

Katherine solved calculations for 2 important missions

fedasam000 — 2025-10-28 01:44:07 UTC

In 1962, Katherine solved worked on a calculation for the trajectory for Alan Shepard's freedom mission. In 1969, Katherine also verified the trajectory of apollo 11 mission that LANDED the first humans on the moon

Apollo 13, 1970

fedasam000 — 2025-10-28 01:46:16 UTC

Katherine also worked on Apollo 13. This was mission that was abandoned, and because of Katherines back-up plan, the people were able to safely come back to earth.

20. Katherine won the Presidential Medal of Freedom

fedasam000 — 2025-10-28 01:47:53 UTC

After retirement, Katherine received many awards because of the achievements she made in her lifetime. One of these awards was the presidential Medal of freedom in 2015.