Hidden Figures
Code Breakers
Lab Legends
Patent Power
Healers
100
She was the "human computer" who manually verified the orbital trajectory for John Glenn’s 1962 flight.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
100
A "human computer" at NASA, she mastered the Fortran programming language and developed code for the Centaur rocket stage.
Who is Annie Easley?
100
At just 23 years old, she developed the first successful injectable treatment for Leprosy, known as the "Ball Method."
Who is Alice Ball?
100
She holds the patent for the Laserphaco Probe, a medical device that revolutionized the treatment of cataracts.
Who is Dr. Patricia Bath?
100
In 1864, she became the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree, later publishing a book on medical advice for women and children.
Who is Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler?
200
NASA’s first Black female manager, she taught herself the FORTRAN programming language to prepare for the arrival of IBM computers.
Who is Dorothy Vaughan?
200
This mathematician’s precise modeling of the Earth’s shape provided the foundational calculations for GPS technology.
Who is Gladys West?
200
In 1947, she became the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn a PhD in Chemistry.
Who is Dr. Marie Maynard Daly?
200
This self-taught inventor holds the record for the most patents awarded to a Black woman, including the sanitary belt and a walker attachment.
Who is Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner?
200
An immunologist at the NIH, she was the lead scientist behind the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Who is Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett?
300
After fighting for the right to attend an all-white school for engineering classes, she became NASA’s first Black female engineer.
Who is Mary Jackson?
300
A leading AI researcher and co-founder of Black in AI, she is a prominent voice in the study of algorithmic bias and ethics.
Who is Dr. Timnit Gebru?
300
Known as the "Mother of Chemotherapy," she pioneered the use of methotrexate to treat breast and skin cancers.
Who is Dr. Jane Cooke Wright?
300
In 1966, she co-invented the first home security system using closed-circuit television (CCTV).
Who is Marie Van Brittan Brown?
300
She was the first Black woman to become a surgeon in the South and the first to serve in the Tennessee State Legislature.
Who is Dr. Dorothy Brown?
400
An expert in supersonic flight, she became the first Black woman promoted into the Senior Executive Service at NASA Langley.
Who is Dr. Christine Darden?
400
She founded the Algorithmic Justice League and produced the documentary Coded Bias to highlight racial bias in facial recognition.
Who is Dr. Joy Buolamwini?
400
This biochemist's research on histones and protein synthesis was cited by Watson and Crick in their Nobel Prize-winning work on DNA.
Who is Dr. Marie Maynard Daly?
400
She patented the Illusion Transmitter in 1980, which uses parabolic mirrors to create 3D images—technology still used by NASA today.
Who is Valerie Thomas?
400
A pioneer in pediatric cardiology, she helped develop the "Blue Baby" surgery to correct congenital heart defects.
Who is Dr. Helen Octavia Dickens and Dr. Myra Adele Logan?
500
This woman was the first Black student to integrate West Virginia’s graduate school before joining the West Area Computing unit.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
500
In 1981, this mathematician became the first Black woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science from Harvard University.
Who is Deborah Washington Brown?
500
She was the first Black woman to serve as the Assistant Surgeon General of the United States.
Who is Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley?
500
In 1919, she received a patent for a gas-powered central heating furnace, the blueprint for modern home heating systems.
Who is Alice H. Parker?
500
In 1993, this pediatrician became the first Black woman (and first African American) to serve as the U.S. Surgeon General.
Who is Dr. Joycelyn Elders?