Janelle Monáe in Hidden Figures Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson in Hidden Figures (2016). (more) Hidden Figures film by Melfi [2016] Written by Karen Sottosanti Karen Sottosanti is a writer and editor who works in educational publishing. Karen Sottosanti Fact-checked by Britannica Editors 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.... Britannica Editors Last updated Apr. 3, 2026 •History The film Hidden Figures is an American historical drama, released in 2016, about a real-life team of African American women who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the early years of the American space program. The film is loosely based on a book by American author Margot Lee Shetterly that was published in the same year: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who...

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