Katherine Johnson
Creola Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician 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, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks. The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist".
26 August 1918
Born on the same birth day (26 August): Bobby Jurasin • Bunny Austin • Chris Burke (actor) • Evan Ross • Hellmuth Walter • Jamal Lewis (American football) • Joe Solomon • Karen Spärck Jones • Lee de Forest • Maxwell D. Taylor • Ola Ray • Pat Sharkey • Sally Beamish
Born in the same month (August 1918): Alan Jay Lerner • Billy Johnson (baseball) • C. Buddingh' • Cisco Houston • Frederick Sanger • Gordon Zahn • Guy Gibson • L. B. Cole • Mary McGrory • Richard Greene • Sid Bernstein (impresario)