How historically accurate is Hidden Figures?

Did John Glenn really ask for Katherine Johnson?

Before John Glenn flew Friendship 7 in 1962, becoming the first American to orbit Earth, he asked Johnson to double-check the math of the "new electronic" computations. … Margot Lee Shetterly wrote the book Hidden Figures and said that Glenn considered Johnson's calculations part of his preflight checklist.

Which historical event does Hidden Figures relate to?

the space race “Hidden Figures” is unique in that it explores not only how the Civil Rights Movement impacted the space race but also the lives of ordinary citizens.

Was Al Harrison a real person?

The Al Harrison character (played by Kevin Costner) is largely based on Robert C. Gilruth, the head of the Space Task Group at Langley Research Center and later the first director of what is now the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Is Hidden Figures about NASA?

"Hidden Figures," a 2016 book by Margot Lee Shetterly and a movie based on the book, celebrates the contributions of some of those workers. … Beginning in 1935, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), a precursor of NASA, hired hundreds of women as computers.

Is Paul Stafford a real person?

Paul Stafford, portrayed by Jim Parsons Paul Stafford is a fictional character representing a number of white engineers at NASA for whom Katherine Johnson worked. A statistician and theorist, Stafford has no interest in giving up his white male privileges.

Who said we all pee the same color?

2. “We all pee the same color.” Katherine Johnson calculated the trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return routes for Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit. She was also essential to the Apollo moon mission and even worked on early plans for landing on Mars.

How does Hidden Figures relate to the Cold War?

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. … To make the film as historically accurate as possible, the Hidden Figures production crew liaised with a select team at the space agency, which included Barry.

Did NASA really desegregate bathrooms?

"Desegregation of bathroom and dining facilities happened gradually and quietly over the 1950s at Langley lab," explains Barry. Langley lab was a federal facility but was located in Virginia, which had state-mandated segregation.