Hidden Figures: Unsung Heroes Who Changed the Course of History
History is usually told by the winners, the rulers, and the ones who are seen. But in every great leap forward, there are many unsung heroes whose efforts have been forgotten, eroded, or simply lost. These behind-the-scenes figures—genius brains, tireless hands, and brave hearts—painted our world into what we might never even realize.
This is their tale.
The Shadows of Progress
When we consider the most notable success in science, technology, and social reform, we typically remember the notable names—Einstein, Edison, Armstrong, Turing. But what about the others who labored in the shadows? The women, the people of color, the marginalized who toiled and were exploited, disregarded, or flat-out stolen from?
For decades, systemic biases have muzzled these voices. But now, we lift the veil to pay tribute to the people who altered history behind the scenes.
1. The Black Women Who Sent America to Space
It was the 1960s, and the Space Race was on. America was racing against the Soviet Union to the moon, and NASA was the ground zero of it all. But few people were aware that some of the most important calculations—the actual math that sent rockets into space—were performed by a team of African-American women who were called the “human computers.”
Katherine Johnson: The Mathematician Who Guided Apollo 11
Katherine Johnson was a numbers genius. Her math was so accurate that astronaut John Glenn wouldn’t fly until she personally double-checked the calculations. Without her, the Apollo 11 moon landing may have been impossible.
But for decades, her name was not known. She toiled in a segregated section of NASA, endured racism and sexism every day, and earned much less money than her white male colleagues. It wasn’t until the 2016 movie Hidden Figures that her life became known to the masses.
Dorothy Vaughan:The Pioneer of Computer Programming
Even before “software engineering” was a word, Dorothy Vaughan was a master of it. As NASA moved away from human computers and towards electronic ones, she learned FORTRAN and brought her team into the digital age. She paved the way as the first Black supervisor at NASA, but for years, her legacy was lost.
Mary Jackson: The Engineer Who Fought for EqualityMary
Jackson was NASA’s first African American female engineer. To achieve the title, she petitioned the city of Hampton, Virginia, simply to take night classes at a whites-only institution. She prevailed, graduated, and ended up making aircraft designs more efficient—yet her tale came close to being lost to history.
These women did not only do math—they broke down barriers, shattered glass ceilings, and sent humans into space.
2. The Codebreakers Who Shortened World War II
While Alan Turing is hailed as the Enigma codebreaker, thousands of women worked alongside him—and many of their achievements are still unknown.
The Bletchley Park Women
At Britain’s secret Bletchley Park, more than 8,000 women served as codebreakers, linguists, and analysts. There were mathematicians, linguists, and even chess champions among them. But after the war, they were bound to secrecy, their activities classified for decades.
Elizebeth Friedman: The Mother of Modern Cryptography
Long before the CIA and NSA, Elizebeth Friedman was cracking codes that dismantled smuggling networks and Nazi spy rings. She taught FBI agents, cracked enemy codes, and developed methods still employed today. But J. Edgar Hoover stole credit for her work, and she disappeared from memory.
These women didn’t save lives, they revolutionized intelligence. And history forgot them.
3. The Forgotten Inventors Whose Ideas Built the Modern World
Innovation doesn’t occur in isolation. Some of the technology, medicines, and gadgets that we use today were invented by individuals history forgot.
Lewis Latimer: The Man Who Made Electric Light Possible
Thomas Edison is credited with the lightbulb, but it was perfected by Black inventor Lewis Latimer. His carbon filament extended the life and reduced the cost of the bulb. He also wrote the patent for Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. And his name is seldom heard.
Hedy Lamarr: The Actress Who Invented Wi-Fi
Yes, that Hedy Lamarr—the movie star. She co-invented frequency-hopping technology during WWII to keep torpedoes from being jammed. Now it’s the basis for Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi. But she was belittled for years as merely a “pretty face.”
Dr. Alice Ball: The Woman Who Cured Leprosy (Before Men Took Credit)
In the early 1900s, leprosy was a death sentence. Dr. Alice Ball, a 23-year-old Black chemist, created the first successful treatment. But when she died too soon, a male colleague stole her work, resubmitted it under his own name, and claimed all the credit. Her name was forgotten for nearly a century.
These inventors didn’t simply make things—they made the modern world. And they were erased from it.
4. The Resistance Fighters History Ignored
Behind each revolution, there are the individuals who gambled everything—only to be forgotten.
Claudette Colvin: The Teen Who Refused to Give Up Her Seat (Before Rosa Parks)
Nine months prior to Rosa Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was detained for not giving up her seat on a bus. She was the first to sue over segregation, but civil rights leaders believed a teenager would not make a “respectable” face for the movement. Her courage was silenced.
Bayard Rustin: The Gay Man Who Organized the March on Washington
The 1963 March on Washington was a civil rights turning point—but few are aware that it was organized by Bayard Rustin, a Black gay man. Due to his homosexuality, leaders relegated him to the shadows. His contribution was diminished for decades.
The Night Witches: The All-Female WWII Bomber Squad
The Soviet Union’s 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known to the Nazis as the “Night Witches,” was a women’s unit that took to the skies in rickety wooden planes, laying bombs under the cover of night. They had more than 23,000 missions, but you probably never heard their story.
These women didn’t just fight back—they transformed the world. And history forgot them.
Why Do We Forget Them
The trend is obvious: women, minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and oppressed groups have been deliberately erased from the historical record. Why not?
Power Structures:
The ruling write the books.
Systemic Bias: Minority accomplishments were minimized or hijacked.
Secrecy & Silencing: Numerous were driven into obscurity (such as WWII codebreakers).
Cultural Amnesia: We celebrate the “great men” but don’t recall the teams that worked for them.
But remembering them isn’t only unjust — it warps history itself.
How Do We Honor Them Now?
Tell Their Stories – Share articles, books, and films about hidden figures.
Demand Recognition – Push for their names in textbooks, museums, and awards.
Support Marginalized Voices Today – The next hidden figures are working right now.
History isn’t just about the past—it’s about who we choose to remember.
Final Thought: Who Else Is Missing?
For each name we win back, there are hundreds more that are lost. Whose genius do we still need to discover? Whose stories are still unsung?
The job isn’t complete. But by honoring these unsung heroes, we begin rewriting history—the correct way.
