1. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the African American Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

2. Until recently many people had no idea three brilliant African-American women at NASA -- Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world.

3. John Glenn was the first human to orbit the Earth
John Glenn was the first human to orbit the Earth. We have all heard the story but, the MATH behind a safe exit and entry to the Earth’s atmosphere is the TRUE amazing feat.

4. Can you imagine figuring this type of math problem before advanced computers and the internet??? Even calculators were not advanced at that time.

6. The first black computers didn’t set foot at Langley until the 1940s
The first black computers didn’t set foot at Langley until the 1940s. Though the pressing needs of war were great, racial discrimination remained strong and few jobs existed for African-Americans, regardless of gender. That was until 1941 when A. Philip Randolph, pioneering civil rights activist, proposed a march on Washington, D.C., to draw attention to the continued injustices of racial discrimination. With the threat of 100,000 people swarming to the Capitol, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, preventing racial discrimination in hiring for federal and war-related work. This order also cleared the way for the black computers, slide rule in hand, to make their way into NACA history

7. Katherine Johnson at her desk at Langley with a "celestial training device." (NASA)

8. Katherine Johnson, was a brilliant mathematician who began working at NASA in its earliest days, beginning in the 1950s. Her mind was so trusted, in fact, that NASA says Glenn called for Johnson to check the complex trajectory calculations made by the computer before launching the Friendship 7 in 1962.

9. View this video and learn more: