Katherine Johnson is one of the sharpest minds to ever grace this planet. Her story was told in the movie Hidden Figures, and she was played by the riveting and gorgeous Taraji P. Henson. Johnson was the first African-American woman on the Space Task Group that worked on sending men to space. During the historical "Space Race" with the Soviets in the 60's and 70's, the American government was desperate to be the first country to reach the moon. Johnson created the correct mathematical equations to help assist the launch, orbit, and reentry of groundbreaking NASA programs that would send men to space for the first time in American history.
Johnson celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday (August 26). On Saturday, Johnson attended an event at West Virginia State University, where she went to school. The university honored the legend with a new statue and a scholarship in her name. As reported by the Charleston Gazette-Mail, life sciences directorate at the Johnson Space Centre Yvonne Cagle gave a speech during the celebratory ceremony. “What makes Katherine so extraordinary is she not only prevailed while segregation failed, Dr. Johnson has continued to persevere and thrive with the gracious poise and clarity that defies mere words of explanation, let alone definition,” she stated. “So what can you say after a century about someone like Dr. Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson - our very own global, global genius? Let’s see - you say nothing. You don’t say anything. You listen.”