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Sapphire Band 16

The Story y of Katherine Johnson

TO THE MOON AND BACK: THE STORY OF KATHERINE JOHNSON

n o o M e h t o T k c a B d an

n o o M e h t To Back and

The Story of Katherine Johnson

This is the remarkable story of Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who was part of the team that helped Neil Armstrong land on the Moon for the very first time.

As an African-American woman, she had to fight against racism and sexism to do the job that she loved.

A biography collins.co.uk/collinsbigcat

78841_Cover.indd 1

Sandra Agard Amanda Quartey

23/05/2022 17:00

n o o M e h t To Back and

The Story of Katherine Johnson

Contents Who was Katherine Johnson?

2

1 Katherine loves numbers

4

2 School days

7

3 Becoming a teacher

15

4 Becoming a human computer

21

5 The Space Race begins

28

6 Reaching for the stars

35

7 To the Moon and back

45

8 Katherine Johnson’s legacy

49

Glossary

52

Index

53

Timeline

54 Written by Sandra Agard Illustrated by Amanda Quartey

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Who was Katherine Johnson?

You’ve probably heard of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon. But did you know that he may never have got there without the help of one woman?

Katherine Johnson was a mathematician. She used maths to help people get to outer space and even to the Moon.

2

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Although she never left Earth, her path to working with rockets at the American Space Agency was just as difficult as a journey to the stars.

Katherine faced many challenges. She was an AfricanAmerican woman living at a time when the USA had many laws stopping Black people getting certain jobs and living in certain places. She had to fight against racism and sexism.

This book begins when she was a young girl – a young girl who loved numbers.

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1 Katherine loves numbers Katherine was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, USA, on 26th August 1918.

Her parents were Joylette and Joshua Coleman.

Her mother was a teacher and her father was a farmer, builder and handyman who worked at the famous Greenbrier Hotel.

Katherine was the youngest of four children. From an early age, Katherine loved numbers and was eager to learn.

She saw numbers, patterns and shapes everywhere and would count everything. When she was at home, she’d count the plates on the table.

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When she went outside, she’d count the trees and at night, she’d count the stars in the sky.

By the age of four, Katherine could spell many words and knew her multiplication tables. One day she followed her brother, Charlie, to school and stayed with him all day, helping him to solve maths problems in class.

The teacher, Mrs Leftwich, was so astonished, she went to see Katherine’s mother.

It was decided that Katherine should start school in the autumn when she was aged just four. This was unusual in the USA, where children normally start school aged between five and six.

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When the term began, Katherine went to school with her brothers and sister. Because she knew her numbers and could read and write well, teachers felt she should skip three grades and put her in the second grade, with children aged seven years.

As well as numbers, Katherine loved to read and would often go to the library.

Fact box Black children and White children were educated separately up until 1954, owing to US segregation.

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2 School days In September 1926, Mr and Mrs Coleman made a decision that would change the family’s lives forever. They decided to leave their home in White Sulphur so the children could attend the West Virginia Colored Institute, as there were no high schools for children in their home town.

Fact box The West Virginia Colored Institute was built in 1891.

It educated Black children and also offered teacher training.

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Unable to find work near the Institute, Mr Coleman returned to White Sulphur Springs. For the next eight years, he only saw his family during the holidays and in the summer when he travelled back to see them.

During this time, all four children completed high school and four-year university programmes.

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Katherine attended the elementary school on the institute’s grounds. She was a fast learner and her potential in mathematics was quickly discovered.

She went from middle school to high school aged ten and was surrounded by children who were 14 and 15 years old.

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Sapphire Band 16

The Story y of Katherine Johnson

TO THE MOON AND BACK: THE STORY OF KATHERINE JOHNSON

n o o M e h t o T k c a B d an

n o o M e h t To Back and

The Story of Katherine Johnson

This is the remarkable story of Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who was part of the team that helped Neil Armstrong land on the Moon for the very first time.

As an African-American woman, she had to fight against racism and sexism to do the job that she loved.

A biography collins.co.uk/collinsbigcat

78841_Cover.indd 1

Sandra Agard Amanda Quartey

23/05/2022 17:00