Hidden Figures hero Katherine Johnson honored at Oscars

Katherine Johnson with members of the Hidden Figures cast.

(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

last updated 27 February 2017

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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox