Without the calculations of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, the Apollo mission might not have happened, and the acclaimed movie Hidden Figures definitely would never have been made.
On Sunday, Johnson, 98, was honored by the Hidden Figures cast during the Academy Awards ceremony, where she received a standing ovation from the audience. Johnson's daughter, Katherine Moore, said her mother never bragged about her job, and also never backed down; while women normally weren't allowed to attend meetings at NASA, Johnson still sat in on them. "They never sent her out because nine times out of 10, she would have the answers," Moore told WNCN. Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and Moore said her hard work will inspire young girls for generations, teaching them "you can do anything you want to do."
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