Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, famously known as the "Hidden Figures,” were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on Capitol Hill this Wednesday (Sept. 18), CBS News reported. 

These trailblazing women, mathematicians, and engineers were instrumental to NASA’s achievements between 1930 and 1970. Their groundbreaking work included calculating rocket trajectories and earth orbits and contributing to America's earliest space flights, including putting men on the moon. Christine Darden was also honored for her exceptional contributions as an aeronautical engineer.

"This has been a long time coming," House Speaker Mike Johnson said at the ceremony. "At a time in America when our nation was divided by color and often by gender, these women dared to step into the fields where they had previously been unwelcome." 

Johnson added that the women laid "the very foundation upon which our rockets launched, our astronauts flew, and our nation soared." He continued, "Although we call them 'Hidden Figures,' we shouldn't think of them merely as supporting characters in the American story of space, explanation, exploration. They were the engineers and mathematicians who actually wrote the story itself." 

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson highlighted the remarkable achievements of "Hidden Figures," emphasizing that their contributions are even more significant considering the barriers they overcame due to racism and sexism.

"Awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal honors their lives and work and ensures that they will continue to inspire Americans for years to come," he said. "When the first woman lands on the moon in the Artemis program, she will follow a trail blazed by the women we honor today." 

Medals were presented to the families of the four women. In contrast, an additional medal was given as a symbolic tribute to all those whose contributions to NASA went unrecognized during that era. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe starred in the 2016 biographical drama “Hidden Figures.” The film was loosely adapted from Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 nonfiction book, telling the inspiring story of the three Black women.