Katherine Johnson

African-American mathematician
Person human Q11740
Katherine Johnson
NASA · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Katherine Johnson

Summary

Katherine Johnson is a human[1]. She was born in White Sulphur Springs[2]. She was born on +1918-08-26T00:00:00Z[3]. She died in Newport News[4]. She died on +2020-02-24T00:00:00Z[5]. She worked as a computer scientist[6], physicist[7], military flight engineer[8], mathematician[9], and teacher[10]. She ranks in the top 0.22% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (8,680 views/month, #2,211 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Born in White Sulphur Springs[2], Katherine Johnson…
  • Katherine Johnson passed away in Newport News[4].
  • Katherine Johnson was born on +1918-08-26T00:00:00Z[3].
  • Katherine Johnson died on +2020-02-24T00:00:00Z[5].
  • Katherine Johnson is buried at Hampton Memorial Gardens[12].
  • Katherine Johnson held citizenship in United States[13].
  • Katherine Johnson is identified as part of the African Americans ethnic group[14].
  • Katherine Johnson worked as a computer scientist[6].
  • Katherine Johnson worked as a physicist[7].
  • Katherine Johnson worked as a military flight engineer[8].
  • Katherine Johnson worked as a mathematician[9].
  • Katherine Johnson worked as a teacher[10].
  • Katherine Johnson's field of work was orbital mechanics[15].
  • Katherine Johnson's field of work was aerospace engineering[16].
  • Katherine Johnson's field of work was mathematics[17].
  • Katherine Johnson's field of work was computational mathematics[18].
  • Katherine Johnson's field of work was physics[19].
  • Katherine Johnson was employed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration[20].
  • Among Katherine Johnson's employers was National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics[21].
  • Katherine Johnson was educated at West Virginia University[22].
  • Katherine Johnson was educated at West Virginia State University[23].
  • Katherine Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom[24].
  • Katherine Johnson received the Virginia Women in History[25].
  • Katherine Johnson received the BBC 100 Women[26].
  • Katherine Johnson received the Arthur B.C. Walker II Award[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs[2]. She was born on +1918-08-26T00:00:00Z[3]. She is identified as part of the African Americans ethnic group[14].

Education

Educated at West Virginia University[22], a public research university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1867[30], headquartered in Morgantown[31] and West Virginia State University[23], a public university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1891[34]. Katherine Johnson studied under William Claytor[35].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include computer scientist[6], physicist[7], military flight engineer[8], mathematician[9], and teacher[10]. Fields of work include orbital mechanics[15]; aerospace engineering[16], a branch of engineering[36]; mathematics[17], an academic discipline[37]; computational mathematics[18], a branch of mathematics[38]; and physics[19], a branch of science[39]. Employers include National Aeronautics and Space Administration[20], a space agency[40], in United States[41], founded in 1958[42], headquartered in Washington, D.C.[43] and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics[21], a government agency[44], in United States[45], founded in 1915[46], headquartered in Washington, D.C.[47].

Recognition

Awards received include Presidential Medal of Freedom[24], an award[48], in United States[49], founded in 1963[50]; Virginia Women in History[25], an award[51]; BBC 100 Women[26], an award[52], in United Kingdom[53], founded in 2013[54]; Arthur B.C. Walker II Award[27], an award[55]; Congressional Gold Medal[56], a medallion[57], in United States[58], founded in 1776[59]; and NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award[60].

Death and Burial

Katherine Johnson died on +2020-02-24T00:00:00Z[5]. She passed away in Newport News[4]. She is buried at Hampton Memorial Gardens[12].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Katherine Johnson include Cygnus NG-15[61], a Cygnus Enhanced[62], in United States[63] and ÑuSat 15[64], an Earth observation satellite[65].

Why It Matters

Katherine Johnson ranks in the top 0.22% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (8,680 views/month, #2,211 of 1,000,298).[11] She has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[66] She is known by 26 alternative names across languages and contexts.[67]

Entities named for her include Cygnus NG-15[61], a Cygnus Enhanced[62], in United States[63] and ÑuSat 15[64], an Earth observation satellite[65].

FAQs

Where was Katherine Johnson born?

Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs[2].

Where did Katherine Johnson die?

Katherine Johnson passed away in Newport News[4].

What did Katherine Johnson do for work?

Katherine Johnson worked as computer scientist[6], physicist[7], military flight engineer[8], mathematician[9], and teacher[10].

Where did Katherine Johnson go to school?

Katherine Johnson was educated at West Virginia University[22] and West Virginia State University[23].

What awards did Katherine Johnson receive?

Honors received include Presidential Medal of Freedom[24], Virginia Women in History[25], BBC 100 Women[26], and Arthur B.C. Walker II Award[27].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Black Women Scientists in the United States. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . The New York Times. Retrieved . nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
  4. [22] . wikidata.org.
  5. [23] . Black Women Scientists in the United States. nasa.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [15] . nasa.gov. nasa.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [16] . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . nasa.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  9. [18] . wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] . wikidata.org.
  12. [7] . wikidata.org.
  13. [8] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [9] . Black Women Scientists in the United States. wikidata.org.
  15. [10] . wikidata.org.
  16. [20] . Black Women Scientists in the United States. Retrieved . thehistorymakers.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [21] . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved . britannica.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [12] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  19. [24] . Honoring NASA's Katherine Johnson, STEM Pioneer. whitehouse.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [25] . edu.lva.virginia.gov. Retrieved . edu.lva.virginia.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  21. [26] . BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?. Retrieved . bbc.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [27] . astrosociety.org. Retrieved . astrosociety.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [56] . congress.gov. Retrieved . congress.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [60] . ncwit.org. Retrieved . ncwit.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [14] . BlackPast.org. nytimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [3] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . Daily Mail. Retrieved . nasa.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  28. [35] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [61] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [64] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [66] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [67] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Katherine Johnson. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/katherine-johnson
MLA “Katherine Johnson.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Mar. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/katherine-johnson.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_katherine-johnson_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Katherine Johnson}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/katherine-johnson}, note = {Accessed: 2026-03-11}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Katherine Johnson — https://4ort.xyz/entity/katherine-johnson (retrieved 2026-03-11)

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