I haven’t really paid much attention to underrated people in history but since you asked I did go looking and found a whole slew of them! I’ve narrowed it down to three here.
Rosalind Franklin
She is the silent genius whose work with “x-ray diffraction images of DNA was pivotal in understanding its structure.” James Watson an American biologist and Francis Crick were credited with the discovery of DNA but the truth is, they relied heavily on Franklin’s data to get the job done. Her contribution was overshadowed in a male dominated society at the time. However, her story is a powerful reminder of how women contributed to science but were not given the recognition they deserved. Things have changed since then and let’s hope it doesn’t go backwards again because of you know who.
Claudette Colvin
She was someone who at just 15 years of age courageously challenged racial segregation. Rosa Parks is a well-known name but Colvin? It seems that the incident with Claudette Colvin happened nine months before the Rosa Parks incident. Claudette refused to relinquish her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white woman. Her brave stance at a time when unjust laws were the norm was truly courageous even though she didn’t get the recognition she deserved.
Katharine Johnson
She was a pioneer of sorts. Ms. Johnson shattered racial and gender barriers by working at NASA during segregation. More importantly, she “calculated the flight trajectory for John Glenn’s historic orbit and helped ensure the success of the Apollo II moon landing. A brilliant mind but her contributions only came to light at a much later time through the film Hidden Figures.
Let’s get some easier questions please!
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