Hidden Figures Vocab
turbulence
The action of unsteady movement in air
What was NACA?
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
A government agency studying the science of computers
Which woman was the first to be promoted to a management position?
Dorothy Vaughan
What is one condition of segregation that Dorothy Vaughan experienced?
- Being forced to sit in the back of the bus
- Living in a separate neighborhood
- Working in a separate section at NACA
suffix -ism
belief in
segregation
the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group
What were the women who worked at NACA called?
Human computers
Computers
Who was a leader in supersonic flight?
Christine Darden
Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
An all black group of military pilots and fighters who fought in World War II
What are the TWO things the suffix -ful means?
- Indicates an adjective
-Full of
refined
made free from error; adjusted to match high quality expectations
What event was NACA helping?
World War II
Who was the first African-American engineer at NACA?
Mary Jackson
Why did Dorothy Vaughan feel that she was in a special group working at NACA?
(Hint: Think about how many black women were working and what they were working as)
She was a part of the 2% of black women with college degrees and NOT a part of the 60% of those women who were teachers.
She was a black woman with a college degree who was not a teacher.
What are the two ways to say the "ow" sound?
"o" like in low
"ow" like in down
a fixed amount of a product officially allowed to each person during a time of shortage
How was NACA's work environment similar to the social climate at the time?
Segregation was enforced
Blacks and whites had separate work spaces
Who did the math to get the first men to space?
Katherine Johnson
Why did African American feel conflicted about helping with World War II
They didn't want to help fight for freedom/equal rights when they did not have equal rights themselves
What are the difference vowel sounds in the following word:
CAULIFLOWER
comply
to meet specific standards
What was NACA's main mission?
To develop airplanes for World War II
Who stole the "Colored Computers" sign in the NACA cafeteria
Miriam Mann
Who was Irene Morgan, and how was her experience similar to the women working at NACA?
Irene Morgan worked at a airplane manufacturer and was arrested because she refused to sit in the back of a bus on her way back to work.
What does the word "abolish" mean?
When someone in authority decided to end a practice. For example, abolishing slavery.