Hidden Figures (2016)

Based On the Life of: Katherine Johnson

Starring: Taraji P. Henson

Movie Budget: $25 million

Star Salary: $500,000

John Glenn got all the credit for going into orbit, but Glenn might never have made it to space, at all, were it not for the mathematical achievements of three Black women: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. These NASA scientists were the brains behind the whole operation, developing all the code and calculations needed to get Glenn into space.

Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer portray the three brilliant women, whom history chose to overlook because of their race and gender. Hidden Figures was revolutionary because it revealed the truth behind who actually should get the credit for one of NASA’s greatest operations: Black women, not white men. The film won an NAACP Image Award.