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Amid these conditions, Vaughan was promoted to lead the West Computers in 1949, becoming NACA’s first black supervisor and one of its few female supervisors.In December 1943 she started working for NACA’s West Area Computing unit, a group of African American female mathematicians who were considered “human computers,” performing complex computations and analyzing data for aerospace engineers.
She also became a dedicated advocate for female employees who deserved promotions or raises, often supporting white women as well.Vaughan led the West Area Computing program for a decade.
Check out Britannica's new site for parents! African-American mathematics teacher who became one of the leading mathematical engineers in early days of the aerospace industry Vaughan and many other West Computers then joined the NASA Analysis and Computation Division, a group made up of men and women of all races.
Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. She worked on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program that shot satellites into space.
Learn more about Vaughan’s life and career. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
… Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... 'Mathematician Mary Jackson was one of a small group of African American women who worked as aeronautical engineers, called "human computers," at NASA during the Space Age.Jack Johnson, nicknamed "the Galveston Giant," was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.Jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan performed with big bands before becoming a solo artist.
Dorothy Johnson Vaughan (September 20, 1910 – November 10, 2008) was an American mathematician and human computer who worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and NASA, at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The title gave her rare visibility and she collaborated with other well-known computer operators on various projects. "The wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson served as first lady from 1963 to 1969.Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. In 1949, Vaughan became the head of the West …
Dorothy Johnson Vaughan was a teacher who became a leading mathematical engineer in the first aerospace program with NACA (now NASA), and the first African American female promoted as supervisor in the program.. Vaughan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 20, 1910, to Leonard and Anne Johnson.Her family moved to Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1917. Moton High School in Farmville, VA. She retired in 1971. If you see something that doesn't look right, Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.One of NASA's human 'computers,' Katherine Johnson performed the complex calculations that enabled humans to successfully achieve space flight. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the telephone. Discover what happened on this day. Dorothy Johnson Vaughan was an African American mathematics teacher who became one of the leading mathematical engineers in early days of the aerospace industry. She was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia. She graduated from Beechurst High School in 1925, and four years later, received a Bachelor of Science degree from Wilberforce University in Ohio. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.Dorothy Vaughan performed complex computations and analyzed data for Dorothy Vaughan’s employer, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, was segregated, and black employees were forced to use separate bathrooms and dining facilities.
In 1991, he announced that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.Dorothy Johnson Vaughan worked as a mathematician on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program that sent America’s first satellites into space.© 2020 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC.
She is credited for being an instigator in the Stonewall riots.A preeminent bluesman, award-winning guitarist and singer Stevie Ray Vaughan earned critical and commercial success during the 1980s.Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham Lincoln as president and was the first president of the United States to be impeached.Earvin "Magic" Johnson dominated the court as one of the world's best basketball players for more than a decade. She attended Wilberforce University in Ohio and majored in mathematics.
In 1949, she became acting supervisor of the West Area Computers, the first African-American woman to supervise a group of staff at the center. Dorothy Vaughan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of Leonard and Annie Johnson. After the U.S. defense industry desegregated, Vaughan worked with leading computer operators and engineers, becoming an expert in the FORTRAN programming coding language at NASA. She is known for singing "Send in the Clowns" and "Broken-Hearted Melody.
…female mathematicians—and Jackson’s supervisor was
By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Dorothy Vaughan, American mathematician and computer programmer who made important contributions to the early years of the U.S. space program and who was the first African American manager at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which later became part of NASA.