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Dorothy Vaughan is born
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Katherine Johnson is born
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Mary Jackson is born
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Langley Research Centre of NASA began hiring African American, female mathematicians
Dorothy Vaughan was among them. This was due to the loss of manpower due to war; many minorities and women were taken into the workforce. -
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The Cold War
Was an ongoing geopolitical rivalry and competition between the USA and the Soviet Union along with their respective allies. -
Dorothy Vaughan became the first African American supervisor to work at NASA
She led the "West Computing Unit" which composed of black female mathematicians also known as "computers" -
Mary Jackson joined NASA and worked at the West Computing unit.
She got her first job in NACA at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory’s segregated West Area Computing unit and Vaughan was her supervisor. -
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Brown v. Board of Education
A case took place that ruled out the US state laws from 21 states and established that there should be no legal segregation in schools. The ruling fueled the civil rights movement in states like Virginia and lead to boycotts, sit-ins and even the Rosa Parks incident. -
Katherine Johnson joins NACA
Katherine Johnson began working at NACA’s West Area Computing Unit, where she helped perform complex equations. -
The Space Race
It was a competition between the USA and USSR on who will develop and achieve the most and treated aeronautical and scientific advancements in the 20th century. It was a part of the Cold War. -
NACA becomes NASA
When NACA became NASA, the segregated areas along with the West Computing Unit were abolished. -
Jackson became the first female African American engineer at NASA
Mary had to seek special permission from Hampton City Council to attend a course at a white-segregated school. She completed her course and finally became an engineer. She began her engineering career in an era where female engineers were scarce. This was a big step for women and African Americans in society. -
Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson work together
At the Langley research centre as colleagues in a unit that was segregated by race and sex. -
Katherine Johnsons calculated trajectories for Alan Shepard for the Freedom 7 capsule.
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J.F Kennedy takes office
JFK was a prominent figure in the Space Race and the Civil Rights Movement. He made initiatives to diversify workspaces and institutions. He also addresses the nation in a televised broadcast about civil rights. -
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
He was a Soviet cosmonaut that what the first human in space and the first man to orbit the Earth, achieving a major milestone in the Space Race. This achievement fueled tension and completion with the US. -
Johnson verified Glenn’s trip of orbiting thrice around the Earth and confirmed the numbers.
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First American in Space
John Glenn was the first American in space as he orbited the Earth thrice in 4 hours and 55 minutes on the Friendship 7.