Who Was Katherine Johnson?

Read all about how a young Black girl who loved numbers grew into a brilliant mathematician who helped land the first person on the moon in this inspiring addition to the Who Was? series.

From a very young age, Katherine Johnson counted everything--the number of dirty dishes she’d washed, the steps she walked to church, and even the number of leaves on the trees. By 1928, she was so intelligent and skilled at math that she was able to skip several grades and start high school at age ten! And while Katherine had to deal with racism, segregation, and prejudice throughout her life, she did not let this hold her back from becoming a mathematician.

In 1953, she started working as a ＂human computer＂ at America’s space agency, now known as NASA. Katherine calculated complex equations by hand, and these calculations helped astronauts travel safely into space. She was a part of many important missions, including the Apollo 11 mission that put the first person on the moon.

Katherine Johnson broke barriers and became a trailblazer for women and people of color in the fields of math and science, and her story in this illustrated biography shows young readers that with hard work and determination, anyone can reach for the stars!

Shelia P. Moses (she/her) is a poet, award-winning author, playwright, and producer. She has written several books for young readers, including The Legend of Buddy Bush; I, Dred Scott: A Fictional Slave Narrative Based on the Life and Legal Precedent of Dred Scott; The Baptism; and Who Is Stacey Abrams? She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.