Dorothy Vaughan was born on September 20, 1910, in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up during the Jim Crow era, where she experienced segregation on a daily basis. Despite this, she was an exceptional student and graduated from high school at the age of 15. She then attended Wilberforce University in Ohio, where she earned a degree in mathematics.
After college, Vaughan worked as a math teacher in Farmville, Virginia, before joining the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in 1943. She was one of the first African-American women to work there, and she started as a "computer," doing complex calculations for engineers and scientists.
In 1949, Vaughan became the head of the West Area Computing unit, becoming the first African-American supervisor at the center. She was responsible for managing a team of African-American women who were also called "computers." Under her leadership, the team developed expertise in programming and technology, including coding in FORTRAN, which was a new programming language at the time.
Vaughan's team became essential during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. They calculated trajectories, launch windows, and other critical data for the first American manned space flights, including John Glenn's historic orbit of the Earth in 1962. Vaughan's team's work was crucial to the success of these missions.
Throughout her career, Vaughan faced discrimination and segregation. She had to fight for equal pay and opportunities for her team. In the 1950s, she joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and became a vocal advocate for civil rights.
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Dorothy Vaughan was born on September 20, 1910, in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up during the Jim Crow era, where she experienced segregation on a daily basis. Despite this, she was an exceptional student and graduated from high school at the age of 15. She then attended Wilberforce University in Ohio, where she earned a degree in mathematics.
After college, Vaughan worked as a math teacher in Farmville, Virginia, before joining the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in 1943. She was one of the first African-American women to work there, and she started as a "computer," doing complex calculations for engineers and scientists.
In 1949, Vaughan became the head of the West Area Computing unit, becoming the first African-American supervisor at the center. She was responsible for managing a team of African-American women who were also called "computers." Under her leadership, the team developed expertise in programming and technology, including coding in FORTRAN, which was a new programming language at the time.
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