Women Who Reimagined Our World: Annie Easley
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are highlighting women who reimagined the world and dramatically impacted the realm of communications. These women did not wait for permission. They fixed what was broken. They built what was missing.
When it comes to reimagining the way we communicate with each other, one woman stands out as the crucial agent of change: Annie Easley. Have you ever wondered how it is so easy to facetime your loved ones when traveling? Or how is it so easy to type in an address and let your phone navigate you through an unknown environment? Or how can we press an app and know the weather for the next three months? We have Annie Easley to thank for these incredible modern marvels. Her work laid the groundwork for modern communication.
Let’s take a look at one of the most important rocket scientists of our time.
Born in 1933, in Birmingham, Alabama, Easley originally majored in pharmaceuticals at Xavier University. Then in 1955 she was hired to be a “human computer” for the precursor to NASA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). As one of only four black employees in her lab, Easley excelled at this job and decided to pursue a degree in mathematics at Cleveland State University. She routinely faced discrimination, both as an African American and as a woman. According to Easley however, she never let this keep her down, “My head is not in the sand. But my thing is, if I can’t work with you, I will work around you. I was not about to be [so] discouraged that I’d walk away. That may be a solution for some people, but it’s not mine.”
While the list of Annie Easley’s accomplishments would far exceed the limitations of this article, her contributions to modern communications stands out. According to NASA, “She developed and implemented code used in researching energy-conversion systems, analyzing alternative power technology—including the battery technology that was used for early hybrid vehicles, as well as for the Centaur upper-stage rocket.” The fact is that if not for Annie Easley we would not be able to Zoom our loved ones or use google maps to navigate to our next conference or meeting. She broke both physical and metaphorical barriers to communications.
In conclusion, Annie Easley stands as a key figure in the development of modern communications. She wrote the code that helped rockets launch communication satellites into orbit, powering the systems behind modern navigation and weather tracking. She excelled at her job despite being in a white, male-dominated field. She helped pave the way for African American women in STEM.
Who would you add to the list?
Every field has women whose impact deserves more credit. Let’s name them. Join the conversation on our LinkedIn page!
