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 was just a part of history.
I just did the math.
I loved the challenge.
I was just doing what I loved.
I was just a cog in the wheel.
I just did my part.
I just wanted to get it right.
I just wanted to help.
I just did what was needed.
You are either good or you're not. I didn't think I was any better than anybody else, but I didn't think I was any worse.
I just did my job. They asked me to do something, I did it.
I was just doing my job. I was just doing what I was supposed to do.
I didn't feel like I was a trailblazer. I was just doing my job.
I liked to go to work every day. I liked to do my job. I liked to learn.
I never felt like I was a second-class citizen. I just felt like I was a person.
I never felt like I was a woman in a man's world. I just felt like I was a person.
I never felt like I was a black woman in a white man's world. I just felt like I was a person.
I just did what I was supposed to do. I didn't think about it being anything special.
I just did the math. That's all I did.
I didn't know I was a hero. I just knew I was doing my job.
Contemporaries of Katherine Johnson
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Katherine Johnson (1918–2020).