What is Twentieth Century Studios Hidden Figures?
"Hidden Figures" is a powerful biographical drama film that was released by Twentieth Century Fox in 2016. The movie portrays the remarkable story of three African-American women - Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson - who played a key role in NASA's launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit around the Earth in 1962.
The film is based on the book "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race" by Margot Lee Shetterly. It follows the journey of these brilliant mathematicians who worked at NASA during a time of intense racial segregation and sexism in America.
Katherine Johnson, brilliantly played by Taraji P. Henson, was a gifted mathematician and scientist who was responsible for calculating the trajectories for space missions. In a time when women and specifically women of color were treated unfairly, Johnson’s exceptional work was groundbreaking. Her contributions helped NASA make history in the Space Race, and her determination paved the way for women in science and technology.
Dottie Vaughan, played by Octavia Spencer, worked as a supervisor and pioneer in the computer programming field, highlighting the importance of the role women play in innovation. She realized important decisions were being made without the access she and her team had to the newest technology. Vaughan's leadership in this area made her an inspiration to many, and her story serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality in the workplace and beyond.
Mary Jackson, portrayed by Janelle Monáe, broke down barriers as NASA’s first African-American female engineer. The movie illustrates how Jackson had to fight to be recognized as an equal in the workplace despite being more qualified than her white male counterparts.
Ultimately, "Hidden Figures" is a powerful example of the perseverance, grit, and determination that Harold Lovell, a NASA engineer and executive producer for the film, calls the “can-do spirit” of the civil rights movement. It is a testament to the inspiring accomplishments of three women who refused to let prejudice and discrimination hold them back. Their efforts not only played a significant role in shaping America’s history but also inspired a generation of women and men who strive to break down barriers of their own.
Frequently Asked Questions about twentieth century studios hidden figures
Three brilliant African-American women at NASA -- Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson -- serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world.Hidden Figures / Film synopsis
Topic. Hidden Figures explores the biographies of three African-American women who worked as computers to solve problems for engineers and others at NASA. For the first years of their careers, the workplace was segregated and women were kept in the background as human computers.
20th Century StudiosLevantine FilmsFox 2000 PicturesChernin Entertainm...TSG Entertainm...
Hidden Figures/Production companies
Levantine Films produced the film with Peter Chernin's Chernin Entertainment. Fox 2000 Pictures acquired the film rights, and Theodore Melfi signed on to direct.
The recent box office hit Hidden Figures (2017) illuminates a once virtually unknown story of the female computers involved NASA's Project Mercury in the 1960s. The movie stars Taraji P.
"Hidden Figures" portrays the hardships that black women at NASA faced in the years before the Civil Rights Act. Taraji Henson stars as Katherine Johnson, the black female mathematician who helped put astronaut John Glenn into orbit by calculating his flight trajectories.
In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as "colored computers," and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.
Her mission, both in writing the book and heading The Human Computer Project, is to help little girls around the world - in particular those of color - know that women who look like them and share their history helped make the United States great.
The “COLORED” signs that the women of West Computing encounter in the cafeteria, on the doors of restrooms, and in other locations symbolize that no matter what Black people might achieve, many of their white peers will continue to define them solely by their race.
Hidden Figures tells the story of these three African-American mathematicians; Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. During the Cold War, the trio worked at Nasa's Langley Research Centre in Hampton as the US raced against the USSR to put a man into space.
Shetterly got the idea to write her book around 2008, after hearing her father, who had worked at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton during the 1960s, tell the story of the three African-American “computers” (as the mathematicians were called back then) who helped make space travel possible.
The women were the first black managers at Langley and it was their brilliant work that propelled the first American, John Glenn, into orbit in 1962. "Hidden Figures" focuses on three computers: Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan. Here are brief biographies of these women.
Shetterly got the idea to write her book around 2008, after hearing her father, who had worked at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton during the 1960s, tell the story of the three African-American “computers” (as the mathematicians were called back then) who helped make space travel possible.
In Hidden Figures, the coffee pot is a heartbreakingly poignant symbol of discrimination against African Americans and women during the 1960's.
And more importantly, Hidden Figures gives young black girls their own heroes: strong women who, in the face of constant racism and misogyny, were able to resiliently navigate through their obstacles.
These three Black women are the protagonists in their own life stories set against the backdrop of the Space Race and the Civil Rights Movement. The racism and sexism they experience at both Langley and in their personal lives form the central conflict in this story.
Hidden Figures: Prologue Summary & Analysis
- Racism and Inequality.
- Community.
- Luck, Persistent Action, and Hard Work.
- Scientific Progress vs. Social and Political Progress.
