Katherine Johnson
An American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first U.S. crewed spaceflights.
Most quoted
"We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics."
— from Acceptance Speech, 2015
"The women did what they were told to do. They didn't ask questions or take the task any further. I asked questions. I wanted to know the why. I wanted to know the how, and I wanted to know the when."
— from Interview
"I didn't allow their side-eyes and annoyed looks to intimidate or stop me. I also would persist even if I thought I was being ignored. If I encountered something I didn't understand, I'd just ask."
— from Interview
All quotes by Katherine Johnson (380)
I didn't feel my color. I was just doing my job.
I liked to go to work every day. I liked to do my job.
The women were there. We were doing the work.
I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps to the church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed... anything that could be counted, I counted.
I was just doing my job. They gave me the numbers, and I did the calculations.
Girls are capable of doing anything they set their minds to.
There's a difference between a good mathematician and a good computer.
I never felt like I was a minority. I just felt like I was a worker.
We needed to be sure that the numbers were right.
I just did my job, and I did it well.
I was just a person who loved numbers.
I was just a girl from West Virginia who loved math.
I was always interested in what was beyond the next hill.
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
I loved every day of it.
We were all working for the same goal.
I was just part of a team.
I just did what I was supposed to do.
I was just a mathematician.
I never thought about being famous.
Contemporaries of Katherine Johnson
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Katherine Johnson (1918–2020).