Looking for a last minute Halloween costume? Here are some of our favorite women worth talking about – and dressing up as for inspiring STEAM Halloween costumes!
Katherine Johnson – Mathematician
NASA Research Mathematician Katherine Johnson calculated trajectory for spacecraft missions. She verified results made by electronic computers to calculate the orbit for spacecraft.
Her work was made famous in the book and movie “Hidden Figures” about African-American women mathematicians who fought against segregation, discrimination and sexism to work and excel at NASA. Go watch it if you haven’t already!
Her alma mater erected a statue of Katherine Johnson, and a children’s book “Counting on Katherine” has been published. Check out these adorable girls who rocked the Hidden Figures look!
Grace Hopper – Computer Scientist
Grace Hopper joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and was assigned to program the Mark I computer.
She was at Harvard as a research fellow when a moth was found to have shorted out the Mark II, and is sometimes given credit for the invention of the term “computer bug” — though she didn’t actually author the term, she did help popularize it.
She also popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL. Check out this professor’s great Grace Hopper costume!
Maggie Gee – Pilot
Did you know that not a single major airport in the United States is named for a woman?
There’s a campaign to rename Oakland Airport for Maggie Gee. A physicist and researcher, she was one of the first American women trained to fly military aircraft, and was one of only two Chinese-American women to serve as a pilot in Women Airforce Service Pilots in WWII. As a WASP pilot, she helped male pilots train for combat, as female pilots were not allowed to serve in combat at that time.
A children’s book based on her life “Sky High” has been published. You can easily buy or make an “Amelia Earheart” costume and share the story of Maggie Gee!
Frida Kahlo – Painter
Known as one of Mexico‘s greatest artists, Frida Kahlo is remembered for self-portraits, pain and passion, and vibrant colors. Having suffered from polio as a child, she then nearly died in a bus accident as a teenager and endured 30 operations. She has created approximately 200 paintings, sketches and drawings. In 2006, her self-portrait went for over $5 million at Sotheby’s auction.
You can visit her museum in Mexico City, where her belongings are on display throughout the Blue House, as if she still lived there. Many Frida Kahlo books and toys have been produced. Beyoncé dressed as Frida Kahlo a few Halloweens ago.
More Resources:
- 30 Female CTOs to Watch in 2019
- 16 Female Infosec & Cybersecurity Executives to Watch
- Attend a Girl Geek Dinner – Meet Fellow Girl Geeks & Learn Something New!
