28 Facts About Dorothy Vaughan

Dorothy Jean Johnson Vaughan was an American mathematician and human computer who worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and NASA, at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Dorothy Vaughan later was promoted officially to the position of supervisor.

Dorothy Vaughan later headed the programming section of the Analysis and Computation Division at Langley.

Dorothy Vaughan is one of the women featured in Margot Lee Shetterly's history Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race.

In 2019, Dorothy Vaughan was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously.

Dorothy Vaughan was the daughter of Annie and Leonard Johnson.

In 1932, she married Howard Dorothy Vaughan, who died in 1955.

Dorothy Vaughan was very devoted to family and the church, which would play a huge factor in whether she would move to Hampton, Virginia, to work for NASA.

In 1943, Dorothy Vaughan began a 28-year-career as a mathematician and programmer at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in which she specialized in calculations for flight paths, the Scout Project, and computer programming.

Dorothy Vaughan came to the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory thinking that it would be a temporary war job.

Dorothy Vaughan was assigned to the West Area Computing, a segregated unit, which consisted of only African Americans.

In 1949, Dorothy Vaughan was assigned as the acting head of the West Area Computers, taking over from a white woman who had died.

Dorothy Vaughan was the first black supervisor at NACA and one of few female supervisors.

Dorothy Vaughan led a group composed entirely of African-American women mathematicians.

Dorothy Vaughan served for years in an acting role before being promoted officially to the position as supervisor.

Dorothy Vaughan worked for opportunities for the women in West Computing as well as women in other departments.

Dorothy Vaughan moved into the area of electronic computing in 1961, after NACA introduced the first digital computers to the center.

Dorothy Vaughan became proficient in computer programming, teaching herself FORTRAN and teaching it to her coworkers to prepare them for the transition.

Dorothy Vaughan contributed to the space program through her work on the Scout Launch Vehicle Program.

Dorothy Vaughan continued after NASA, the successor agency, was established in 1958.

Dorothy Vaughan lived in Newport News, Virginia, and commuted to work at Hampton via public transportation.

Dorothy Vaughan wanted to continue at another management position at NASA, but never received an offer.

Dorothy Vaughan retired from NASA in 1971, at the age of 61.

Dorothy Vaughan was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, an African-American sorority.

Dorothy Vaughan was an active member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church where she participated in music and missionary activities.

Dorothy Vaughan was the first respected Black female manager at NASA, thus creating a long-lasting legacy for diversity in mathematics and science for West Area Computers.

Dorothy Vaughan is one of the women featured in Margot Lee Shetterly's 2016 non-fiction book Hidden Figures, and the feature film of the same name.

Dorothy Vaughan was portrayed by the Academy Award winning actress Octavia Spencer.