Hidden Figures

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The phenomenal true story of black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations fueled America’s greatest achievements in space is set to become a major motion picture featuring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner. Before John Glenn orbited Earth and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used their skills to calculate the numbers necessary for launching rockets and astronauts into space. Among them were exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation, who were initially relegated to teaching in segregated schools. During World War II, as labor shortages arose in the aeronautics industry, these overlooked math whizzes seized the opportunity to work at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia. Despite facing segregation under Jim Crow laws, the women of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group played a crucial role in achieving a decisive victory in the Cold War and dominating space exploration. Spanning World War II through the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, the narrative follows the intertwined stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, highlighting their challenges, alliances, and intellect that transformed their lives and the future of the nation.