margaret hamilton biography margaret hamilton biography

A brief history of the famous 1969 photo of the software that sent humans to the Moon. They're really scared for a second. In 2003, she was given the NASA Exceptional Space Act Award for scientific and technical contributions. She was contributing writer for Space.com (opens in new tab) for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. "The award included the largest financial award that NASA had ever presented to any individual up to that point. Hamilton was concerned with legitimizing software development as an engineering discipline. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA 's Apollo program. Without exaggeration, it could be said that the heroes of the arrival to the Moon were four: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Margaret Hamilton. One of the many contributors to this effort was Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist who led the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which in 1961 contracted with NASA to develop the Apollo programs guidance system. She spent 11 days in hospital and her legs were permanently scarred. Margaret H. Hamilton is a computer scientist who was instrumental to NASA's efforts to land humans on the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. Paul Boynton Meserve (13 June1931 - 20 May1938)( divorced)( 1 child). At 83 years old, Margaret Hamilton height The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. [10] She also made personal appearances, and Hamilton described the children's usual reaction to her portrayal of the Witch: Almost always they want me to laugh like the Witch. [66], She met her first husband, James Cox Hamilton,[80] in the mid-1950s while attending college. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Hamilton-American-computer-scientist, Space.com - Margaret H. Hamilton: Apollo Computer Programmer, Wired - Her Code Got Humans on the Moon - And Invented Software Itself, Margaret Hamilton - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Margaret Hamilton - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Pres. In 2017, she was one of a handful of Nasa women to be immortalised as a Lego figurine .On the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, Hamilton, 82, looks back on her trailblazing work in. In 1954, she graduated from Thomas Hancock High School in Minnesota. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". mystery guest on the popular Sunday night CBS-TV program. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It is possible to find relevant details of the biography of this extraordinary pioneer on many websites. She did a stint as a What's My Line? She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo program. Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. [2] Before she turned to acting exclusively, her parents insisted she attend Wheelock College in Boston, which she did, later becoming a kindergarten teacher. When she was 80 years old, on November 22, 2016, Margaret Hamilton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, for her work at NASA during the Apollo missions. [16] Hamilton also served as Director of the Software Engineering Division. [16][18] These made her code incredibly reliable because they helped programmers identify and fix anomalies before they became major problems.[26]. Her son, interviewed for the 2005 DVD edition of the film, commented that Hamilton enjoyed the line so much, she sometimes used it in her real life. She lived in Manhattan for most of her adult life, and summered in a cottage on Cape Island, Southport, Maine. Coming up with solutions and new ideas was an adventure. She soon transferred, however, to Earlham College in Indiana where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, with a minor in philosophy. Her most visible appearances during this period were as general store owner, Cora, in a national series of television commercials for Maxwell House coffee. One of the many contributors to this effort was Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist who led the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which in 1961 contracted with NASA to develop the Apollo program's guidance system. [18] In 1979, she was a guest speaker at a University of Connecticut children's literature class. We have a full Biography, Photos, Theatre Credits, and more! The crowning mission, Apollo 11 in July 1969, saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descend all the way to the surface in the lunar module, safely return to the command module (piloted by Mike Collins) and make it home to Earth. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Corrections? Hamilton left MIT in the mid-1970s to work in the private sector. She is from USA. At the time, no schools taught software engineering, so the team members had to work out any problems on their own. Margaret had already built her resume with several performances in film before she came to her most memorable and astronomically successful role, Almira Gulch / The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939). was ranked 99th in the 2005 American Film Institute survey of the most memorable movie quotes. Play Girl. Would spoof her famous role of The Wicked Witch of The West in a 1976 Paul Lynde Halloween Special for television. In later years, Hamilton appeared in films and made frequent cameo appearances on television sitcoms and commercials. For her work during this period, Hamilton has been credited with popularizing the concept of software engineering. The pipe exploded on the third take of the scene. Related: Apollo Coder and 'Apollo 13' Actor Receive Presidential Medals of Freedom, SpaceX scrubs Crew-6 astronaut launch due to ignition-fluid issue, Experience SpaceX's Crew-6 astronaut mission with these amazing photos, DNA from 4 American presidents will launch to deep space, Asteroid Ryugu is rich in organic molecules that can be building blocks of life, On This Day In Space: Feb. 26, 1966: 1st launch of Saturn 1B rocket, Your monthly guide to stargazing & space science, Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with code 'LOVE5', Issues delivered straight to your door or device. 1967) {Ex-Husband}, Your email address will not be published. [11], In Boston, Hamilton initially intended to enroll in graduate study in abstract mathematics at Brandeis University. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Had one child, son, Hamilton Wadsworth Meserve, on June 12, 1936. [63] Hamilton's innovations go beyond the feats of playing an important role in getting humans to the Moon. Her husband is Paul Boynton Meserve (13 June1931 - 20 May1938)( divorced)( 1 child). [4] She studied mathematics at the University of Michigan in 1955 before transferring to Earlham College, where her mother was a student;[7][8] she earned a BA in mathematics with a minor in philosophy in 1958. It was a memorable day when one of the most respected hardware gurus explained to everyone in a meeting that he agreed with me that the process of building software should also be considered an engineering discipline, just like with hardware. I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks!" On December 23, 1938, Hamilton suffered a second-degree burn on her face and a third-degree burn on her hand during a second take of her fiery exit from Munchkinland in which the trap door's drop was delayed to eliminate the brief glimpse of it seen in the final edit. For her work, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Margaret Hamilton Biography Margaret Hamilton was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, the youngest of four children and obtained her teaching certificate in 1923 from the Wheelock . The mirrors at the Ivanpah plant were configured to create a picture of Hamilton and the Apollo 11 by moonlight. Four years later, she obtained the Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana (USA). When I was the beginner they gave it to me as well. Hamilton was born in Cleveland, Ohio and practiced her craft doing children's theater while she was a Junior League of Cleveland member. What I do?!!! [17], Hamilton's early experience as a teacher fueled a lifelong interest in educational issues. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and (soon) a Bachelor of History from Athabasca University. Later in life, she would comment on the role of the witch in a light-hearted fashion. American software engineer and businesswoman, American computer programmer, businessman, and philanthropist. Hamilton had to recuperate in a hospital and at home for six weeks after the accident before returning to the set to complete her work on the film and refused to have anything further to do with fire for the rest of the filming. Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton poses for a series of photos with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. Guest in the House. From my own perspective, the software experience itself (designing it, developing it, evolving it, watching it perform and learning from it for future systems) was at least as exciting as the events surrounding the mission. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers.. For her work, she was honored with the Presidential Medal. 2003 Annual Report of the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board, 2003. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1958. One of the many contributors to this effort was Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist who led the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which in 1961 contracted with NASA to develop the Apollo programs guidance system. In 2019, she was awarded the Intrepid Lifetime Achievement Award. Hamilton and Morgan never share any scenes in Oz. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. !' She subsequently directed and supervised the developments of the Skylab space station mission. After only one crewed mission in Earth orbit Apollo 7 in early 1968 NASA elected to send Apollo 8's command module solo that December on an orbital mission to the moon, out of concerns that the Soviet Union would get there first. Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. Her "priority display" innovation had created a knock-on risk that astronaut and computer would slip out of synch just when it mattered most. "Everything was going according to plan until something totally unexpected happened, just as the astronauts were in the process of landing on the moon," she recalled. Throughout the 1970s, Hamilton lived in New York City's Gramercy Park neighborhood and appeared on local (and some national) public-service announcements for organizations promoting the welfare of pets. [4], Hamilton then joined the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory at MIT, which worked on the Apollo Space Mission. NASA was so impressed with the software used in Apollo that the basis of it was adapted for Skylab (the first U.S. space station), the space shuttle (which ran more than 100 successful missions in Earth orbit and two fatal failures between 1981 and 2011) and the first digital fly-by-wire systems in aircraft. Margaret Hamilton was born Margaret Heafield on August 17, 1936 in Paoli, Indiana. Hamilton never remarried. Coming up with solutions and new ideas was an adventure. Check out Margaret Hamilton's Bio Now August 17, 2016. Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. [48] Others have used HOS to formalize the semantics of linguistic quantifiers,[49] and to formalize the design of reliable real-time embedded systems. "Hamilton was honored by NASA in 2003, when she was presented a special award recognizing the value of her innovations in the Apollo software development," NASA wrote in 2016. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Among them, there were 6 in which the man stepped on the floor of the Moon. In one of the critical moments of the Apollo 11 mission, the Apollo Guidance Computer, together with the on-board flight software, averted an abort of the landing on the Moon. In the early 1960s Hamilton joined MITs Lincoln Laboratory, where she was involved in the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) project, the first U.S. air defense system. She was severely burned during the "Surrender Dorothy!" New York, During one interview, she joked: I was in need of money at the time, I had done about six pictures for MGM at the time, and my agent called. In The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976), she portrayed Lynde's housekeeper, reprising the Wicked Witch role, as well as introducing Lynde to the rock group Kiss. We have estimated Hamilton spent six weeks recovering from the incident and refused to do any more fire-related stunts on the film set. Because software was a mystery, a black box, upper management gave us total freedom and trust. She had three grandchildren, Christopher, Scott, and Margaret. [20][41] They created a product called USE.IT, based on the HOS methodology they developed at MIT. During the 1960s and 1970s, Hamilton appeared regularly on television. The man had reached the Moon. She was 82 years old. They liked to kid me about my radical ideas. We knew that. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. At the time, computer science and software engineering were not yet established disciplines; instead, programmers learned on the job with hands-on experience. Hamilton was a regular parishioner of the Presbyterian church. Her crisp voice with rapid but clear enunciation was another trademark. It was her code that enabled the human race to travel to the moon and back. [50], Hamilton was the CEO of HOS through 1984[20] and left the company in 1985. After graduation she married her first husband, James Cox Hamilton, and . (Revised December 29, 2004). In addition to requiring a deep understanding of computers, it was not easy to write just over 400,000 lines of code that were inserted into the operating system of the lunar module in the Apollo missions. Everything was done based on codes, so that they did not occupy too much space in the small memories of the computers, which were NOT made of silicon, but were housed in iron cores. The guidance and control systems would apply to both the lunar module (which would land on the moon) and the command module (which would orbit the moon while the lunar module was on the surface, then house the astronauts on their journey home.) [30][31][32] The program alarms indicated "executive overflows", meaning the guidance computer could not complete all of its tasks in real time and had to postpone some of them. Hamilton, M.; Hackler, W. R. (2004). After she recuperated, she said, "I won't sue, because I know how this business works, and I would never work again. In later years, Hamilton made frequent . But a software incident almost derailed the landing, as Hamilton recalled in a 2009 interview with MIT. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Margaret Hamilton (December 9, 1902 - May 16, 1985) was an American film actress known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. skywriting sequence at the Emerald City. She was portrayed by Fenella Woolgar in "Judy" (2019). Margaret Hamilton was born on August 17, 1936. In 1986 Margaret founded the company Hamilton Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mutual respect was across the board. She often remarked about children coming up to her and asking her why she had been so mean to Dorothy. Her name was clearly visible when the entire Apollo 11 source code was released on GitHub in 2016; according to MIT, the first full line of the software read, "SUBMITTED: MARGARET H. HAMILTON DATE: 28 MAR 69 / M.H.HAMILTON, COLOSSUS PROGRAMMING LEADER / APOLLO GUIDANCE AND NAVIGATION.". The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Her family later moved to Michigan and Hamilton attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for a time. She later founded two software companiesHigher Order Software in 1976 and Hamilton Technologies in 1986, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. [24] She worked to gain hands-on experience during a time when computer science courses were uncommon and software engineering courses did not exist. She appeared on an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1975 where she explained to children she was only playing a role and showed how putting on a costume "transformed" her into the witch. At MIT, Margaret Hamilton was on the staff of the Draper Laboratory, founded in 1932 by Dr. Charles Stark Draper. Having started on the stage in the early 1930s, she began to work extensively in the theater after leaving Los Angeles. "From 'Kiddie Lit' to Children's Literature: The Biography of Francelia Butler." By Maia Weinstock | MIT News Office Dedication and commitment were a given. Omissions? New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. There was no second chance. In 1965 Margaret was named responsible for the development of the flight software for the computers that would go on board the Apollo spacecraft. Credit: Courtesy MIT Museum Margaret Hamilton's Apollo Code A brief history of the famous 1969 photo of the software that sent humans to the Moon. Phil Davis She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA 's Apollo program. In 1954, she graduated from Thomas Hancock High School in Minnesota. The solution came from a young Margaret who assured the Mission Director that she could safely ignore the two error messages. Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio to Jennie and Walter Hamilton. It is ironic that her performance as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939) was so scary to children, because her first job was as a kindergarten teacher. It was an ongoing joke for a long time. "It quickly became clear that the software was not only informing everyone that there was a hardware-related problem, but that the software was compensating for it. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Margaret Elaine Hamilton (born Heafield on August 17, 1936) is an American computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner. She also gained recognition for her work as an advocate of causes designed to benefit children and animals and retained a lifelong commitment to public education. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. She served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education from 1948 to 1951 and was a Sunday school teacher during the 1950s. And sometimes when I go to schools, if we're in an auditorium, I'll do it. President Barack Obama presents Apollo code developer Margaret Hamilton (at left) and "Apollo 13" actor Tom Hanks (right) with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Nov. 22, 2016. She appeared on Broadway in the musical Goldilocks opposite Don Ameche and Elaine Stritch, gave a lighter touch to the domineering Parthy Anne Hawks in the 1966 revival of Show Boat (dancing with David Wayne), and was the tender Aunt Eller in the 1968 Lincoln Center revival of Oklahoma!. In those years, there were no programming languages like at the end of the 20th century. The studio hired a new stunt double, Aline Goodwin, to finish the broomstick-riding scene for Danko.[9]. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! [13][14][15] Her work contributed to Lorenz's publications on chaos theory. "The NASA Heritage of Creativity." Byla editelkou oddlen softwarovho inenrstv v MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, kter vyvjela letov software pro Program Apollo.V roce 1986 zaloila spolenost Hamilton Technologies, kter sdl ve mst Cambridge ve stt Massachusetts. So I was assigned this program and I actually got it to work. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. margaret-hamilton-bio-wiki-age-family-net-worth-height-nationality-and-facts.html. She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. She studied mathematics at the University of Michigan in the 1950s and later earned a BA in mathematics with a minor in philosophy from Earlham College in 1958. While a decision was made in the moment to let the astronauts land, Hamilton pointed out that a fault analysis was done to see where the error was made. Margaret Hamilton Career Profession: Computer Scientist, Systems Engineer and Business Owner Known For: Director of the "Software Engineering Division" of the "MIT Instrumentation Laboratory", which developed "On-board Flight Software for NASA's Apollo Space Program Debut: Film debut: These Three (1936) Movie poster Net Worth: $12 Million Approx [13] Hamilton continued acting regularly until 1982; her last roles were two guest appearances as veteran journalist Thea Taft (in 1979 and 1982) on Lou Grant. [36], Hamilton's priority alarm displays interrupted the astronauts' normal displays to warn them that there was an emergency "giving the astronauts a go/no go decision (to land or not to land)". We had to find a way and we did. Margaret Hamilton (* 17. srpna 1936 Paoli) je americk softwarov inenrka a podnikatelka. Heres how it works. What are the Van Allen Belts and why do they matter? The original caption, she says, reads: Here, Margaret is shown standing beside listings of the software developed by her and the team she was in charge of, the LM [lunar module] and CM [command module] on-board flight software team.. Hamilton also toured in many plays and musicals, even repeating her role of the Wicked Witch in specially written stage productions of The Wizard of Oz. Margaret Hamilton is an American software engineer and computer scientist best known for leading the team responsible for creating the software for the Apollo moon missions and Skylab space station. Only co-star Frank Morgan played more roles (five) in the film. MIT's instrumentation lab received the contract for the Apollo guidance and control systems on Aug. 9, 1961, when the United States had accomplished only two spaceflights both with just one crewmember on board, and both in suborbital space. "Kindergarten Lost Margaret Hamilton." Her Gramercy Park neighbor Sybil Daneman reported that Hamilton loved children but they were often afraid to meet her because of her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. The content of the programs was printed on continuous paper and stored in large folders. The couple then moved to Boston. [Related: Apollo Coder and 'Apollo 13' Actor Receive Presidential Medals of Freedom]. A brief history of the famous 1969 photo of the software that sent humans to the Moon. CAPE ISLAND Tour boat operators sometimes entertained their passengers by referring to Cape Island as "Witch's Island." That's because the primary resident there, during summers from 1961 to 1985, was Margaret Hamilton, the actor who played the Wicked Witch of the West and Elmira Gulch in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.. [38] Paul Curto, senior technologist who nominated Hamilton for a NASA Space Act Award, called Hamilton's work "the foundation for ultra-reliable software design".[23]. Required fields are marked *. In 1960, producer/director William Castle cast Hamilton as a housekeeper in his 13 Ghosts horror film, in which 12-year-old lead Charles Herbert's character taunts her about being a witch, including the final scene, in which she is holding a broom in her hand. This depended on our assigning a unique priority to every process in the software in order to ensure that all of its events would take place in the correct order and at the right time relative to everything else that was going on. JWST finds galaxies that shouldn't exist! Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 - May 16, 1985) was an American actress and educator. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 16:40. This overloaded the central processing unit during the landing, but fortunately, the software recovered in the heated moments before Apollo 11 touched down. She appeared in The Phil Silvers Show episode S2E20 Bilko Enters Politics (05 February 1957). In Wired magazine, she said in 2015 "I enjoyed school, but there was something about maths that I loved more than anything". Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Earlham College, Richmond. [19] She later moved to Millbrook, New York. Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. [54][55][56] Hamilton details how she came to make up the term "software engineering": When I first came up with the term, no one had heard of it before, at least in our world. In 1939, Hamilton played the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, opposite Judy Garland's Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, creating not only her most famous role, but also one of the screen's most memorable villains. [3], Hamilton made her screen debut in the MGM film Another Language (1933) starring Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery. Margaret Hamilton Storey (July 31, 1900 - October 18, 1960) was an American museum curator, herpetologist and ichthyologist.She worked for the Stanford University Natural History Museum for over 25 years. This brilliant mathematician, systems engineer, and computational scientist, was Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. It does not store any personal data. more information Accept. Discover Margaret Hamilton's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. She led a team that was tasked with developing the software for the guidance and control systems of the in-flight command and lunar modules of the Apollo missions. Hamilton was the recipient of various honours, including NASAs Exceptional Space Act Award (2003). [20] Hamilton's team was responsible for developing in-flight software,[21] which included algorithms designed by various senior scientists for the Apollo command module, Apollo lunar module, and the subsequent Skylab. As the alarms went off and priority displays replaced normal ones, the actual switchover to new programmes behind the screens was happening "a step slower" than it would today. She appeared regularly in supporting roles in films until the early 1950s and sporadically thereafter. Houston! In 1973, Hamilton produced the stage production of An Evening with the Bourgeoisie. We had to find a way and we did. While her acting career developed, her marriage began to fail; the couple divorced in 1938. Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 May 16, 1985) was an American actress and educator. [81][80] She briefly taught high school mathematics and French at a public school in Boston, Indiana. Because software was a mystery, a black box, upper management gave us total freedom and trust. [17], It was her efforts on this project that made her a candidate for the position at NASA as the lead developer for Apollo flight software. Margaret Hamilton's net worth "All of a sudden, the normal mission sequences were interrupted by priority displays of 1201 and 1202 alarms, giving the astronauts a go/no-go decision (to land or not to land)," she added. In 2009, she received the Outstanding Alumni Award by. At MIT she began programming software to predict the weather and did postgraduate work in meteorology. She portrayed the sister of Witchiepoo from H.R. When she was studying at Earlham College, she met James Hamilton. She was Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for the Apollo space program.