From a very young age, Katherine Johnson counted everything—the number of dirty dishes she'd washed, the steps she walked to church, and even the number of leaves on the trees. By 1928, she was so intelligent and skilled at math that she was able to skip several grades and start high school at age ten! And while Katherine had to deal with racism, segregation, and prejudice throughout her life, she did not let this hold her back from becoming a mathematician.
In 1953, she started working as a 'human computer' at America's space agency, now known as NASA. Katherine calculated complex equations by hand, and these calculations helped astronauts travel safely into space. She was a part of many important missions, including the Apollo 11 mission that put the first person on the moon.
Katherine Johnson broke barriers and became a trailblazer for women and people of colour in the fields of math and science, and her story in this illustrated biography shows young readers that with hard work and determination, anyone can reach for the stars!
This is Book 225 in the Who Was? Series. See all Who Was? books here.
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Gail Herman has written several biographies and nonfiction books, including Who Was Jackie Robinson? and What Is the World Series?
John Hinderliter is an award-winning illustrator and fine artist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
More about Who HqEllen Labrecque is a former Senior Editor for Sports Illustrated for Kids and the author of over twenty nonfiction books for young readers, including biographies of Jim Thorpe and Magic Johnson.
More about Dede Putra
