inspirational women – Tracy Cooper-Posey

Katherine Johnson: The Math Genius Hidden Figures Couldn’t Fully Contain

4 Comments / Historical Stuff / May 17, 2026 / American history, Apollo program, Black history, civil rights, female scientists, Her Side of History, Hidden Figures, hidden figures movie, historical women, inspirational women, John Glenn, Katherine Johnson, Mathematics, NASA, NASA history, science history, Space Race, women in history, women in STEM, women mathematicians / 5 minutes of reading

Before NASA trusted electronic computers, they trusted Katherine Johnson. Hidden Figures introduced millions to the brilliant mathematician whose calculations helped send astronauts into orbit and eventually to the moon. But the real story is even more astonishing than the movie. From quietly defying segregation to becoming the woman John Glenn personally trusted with his life, Katherine Johnson’s career reveals how history often overlooks the people doing its most essential work.

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Sybil Ludington: Teenage Girl vs. the British Empire (Sort Of)

In 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington may have ridden through a stormy night to rally a scattered militia—and possibly outshone Paul Revere while doing it. Or… maybe she didn’t. The truth is tangled in legend, but the story of a teenage girl rising to the moment (and then vanishing from history) is worth dusting off. Whether myth or memory, Sybil’s ride says a lot about the women history tends to forget.