When was Katherine Johnson born?

Katherine Johnson was born on 26 August 1918 in White Sulphur Springs.

Where did Katherine Johnson study?

Katherine Johnson was educated at West Virginia University, West Virginia State University.

NASA · Public domain

Suggest a better photo · Report

Katherine Johnson

African-American mathematician

नेपालीमा पढ्नुहोस् · हिंदी में पढ़ें

नेपाली · English · हिंदीRead in your language
CitedEvery fact sourced
Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

Creola Katherine Johnson (née Coleman, previously Goble; August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020) was an American mathematician and human computer whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. During her 33-year career at NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform tasks previously requiring humans. The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist".

Quick facts

Born: 26 August 1918 wd
Place of birth: White Sulphur Springs wd
Died: 24 February 2020 wd
Place of death: Newport News wd
Citizenship: United States wd
Occupation: computer scientist, physicist, military flight engineer, mathematician, teacher, writer wd
Education: West Virginia University, West Virginia State University wd
Official website: katherinejohnson.net wd

Awards wd

Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015)
Virginia Women in History (2016)
BBC 100 Women (2016)
Arthur B.C. Walker II Award (2016)
Congressional Gold Medal (2019)
NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award (2015)
Hubbard Medal (2020)
National Women's Hall of Fame (2022)
honorary degree from Spelman College (2017)
National Aviation Hall of Fame (2024)

About

Johnson's work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard (the first American in space) and John Glenn (the first American in orbit), and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a human mission to Mars.

In 2015 President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2016, she received the Silver Snoopy Award from NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin and a NASA Group Achievement Award. She was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the 2016 film Hidden Figures. In 2019, the United States Congress awarded Johnson the Congressional Gold Medal and NASA announced the establishment of the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in her home state of West Virginia. In 2021, she was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Questions

When was Katherine Johnson born?: Katherine Johnson was born on 26 August 1918 in White Sulphur Springs.
Where did Katherine Johnson study?: Katherine Johnson was educated at West Virginia University, West Virginia State University.

Sources

Last updated 5 November 2026 · facts checked 5 November 2026

Cite this page

"Katherine Johnson". DigiNepal. Last updated 5 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/katherine-johnson. Retrieved 5 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article Katherine Johnson, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Katherine Johnson 1983.jpg — NASA, Public domain.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile