Hidden Figures
TITLE: HIDDEN FIGURES AUTHOR: MARGOT LEE SHETTERLY PUBLICATION YEAR: 2016 This story is entitled Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and published year 2016. This book chronicles the experiences of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African-American women who pioneered the fields of mathematics and engineering at NASA. During World War II, NASA, then known as NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), started hiring women as female computers. These women effectively performed mathematical tasks but were classified as sub professionals in order to receive lower pay. Because the demand could not be met solely by white employees, there was a movement in 1943 to hire qualified black women. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly is a remarkable account of a small group of African-American women who made significant contributions to the Space Race and the fields of math, science, and engineering. These women wer