Principal Investigator, Magnetometer Instrument, Cassini Mission, This site is maintained by the Planetary Science Communications team at. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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 They liked to kid me about my radical ideas. Margaret Hamilton Computer Scientist MIT Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton poses with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at MIT. On April 28, 2017, she received the Computer History Museum Fellow Award, which honors exceptional men and women whose computing ideas have changed the world. A few months after filming Oz, she appeared in Babes in Arms (1939) as Jeff Steele's aunt, Martha, a society do-gooder who made it her goal to send the gang of child actors, led by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, to a work farm. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller? Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. [7] Studio executives cut some of Hamilton's more frightening scenes, worrying they would frighten children too much. Devising, writing, testing, and testing these routines was quite commendable. Qualification: BA in Mathematics with a Minor in Philosophy, College: Earlham College, University of Michigan, 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 NASAs Apollo Space Program, James Cox Hamilton; (m. 1958; div. NY 10036. In 1976, Hamilton co-founded with Saydean Zeldin a company called Higher Order Software (HOS)[40] to further develop ideas about error prevention and fault tolerance emerging from their experience at MIT working on the Apollo program. Margaret Hamilton was born on August 17, 1936. She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA 's Apollo program. 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. Hamilton herself specifically concentrated on software to detect system errors and to recover information in a computer crash. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Margaret Heafield Hamilton was born on August 17, 1936, in Paoli, Indiana. While her acting career developed, her marriage began to fail; the couple divorced in 1938. At the time, no schools taught software engineering, so the team members had to work out any problems on their own. [37] Jack Garman, a NASA computer engineer in mission control, recognized the meaning of the errors that were presented to the astronauts by the priority displays and shouted, "Go, go!" DAAAE30-02-D-1020 and DAAB07-98-D-H502/0180, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, 20032004. Margaret Hamilton, ne Margaret Heafield, (born August 17, 1936, Paoli, Indiana, U.S.), American computer scientist who was one of the first computer software programmers; she created the term software engineer to describe her work. '[8], Hamilton's stand-in and stunt double for the Witch, Betty Danko, also suffered an on-set accident on February 11, 1939. Hamilton was cast after Gale Sondergaard, who was first considered for the role, albeit as a more glamorous witch with a musical scene, declined the role when the decision was made that the witch should appear ugly.[6]. Mutual respect was across the board. It was her code that enabled the human race to travel to the moon and back. And there's always a funny reaction, like 'Ye gods, they wish they hadn't asked.' She spent 11 days in hospital and her legs were permanently scarred. In March 1986, she founded Hamilton Technologies, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The content of the programs was printed on continuous paper and stored in large folders. She appeared in The Phil Silvers Show episode S2E20 Bilko Enters Politics (05 February 1957). Bill Dunford 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. The pipe exploded on the third take of the scene. [59] Over time the term "software engineering" gained the same respect as any other technical discipline. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. According to Wired's Karen Tegan Padir: "She, along with that other early programming pioneer, COBOL inventor Grace Hopper, also deserve tremendous credit for helping to open the door for more women to enter and succeed in STEM fields like software. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? The studio hired a new stunt double, Aline Goodwin, to finish the broomstick-riding scene for Danko.[9]. Hamilton was born in Cleveland, Ohio and practiced her craft doing children's theater while she was a Junior League of Cleveland member. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Dishonored Lady. 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. , money, salary, income, and assets. She became very concerned about the role's effect on children, and finally did a guest spot on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968) to explain that the Witch was just a character in the film, and not herself. [4] They divorced in 1967 and Margaret married Dan Lickly two years later.[80][82]. Hamilton costarred opposite Buster Keaton and Richard Cromwell in a 1940s spoof of the long-running local melodrama The Drunkard, titled The Villain Still Pursued Her. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. She played Morticia Addams' mother, Hester Frump, in three episodes of The Addams Family. was ranked 99th in the 2005 American Film Institute survey of the most memorable movie quotes. She subsequently directed and supervised the developments of the Skylab space station mission. Hamilton also appears as an unidentified flying witch during the tornado scene, which may have been the Wicked Witch of the West or her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. "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. 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. Hamilton made her debut as a "professional entertainer" on December 9, 1929, in a "program of 'heart rending songs'" in the Charles S. Brooks Theater at the Cleveland Play House. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2018-2023, All Rights Reserved Super Stars Bio. Planetary science is a global profession. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1958. 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. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). We took our work seriously, many of us beginning this journey while still in our 20s. She grew up during a time when very few women studied computer science, but Hamilton knew she wanted to write code. "Hamilton contributed to concepts of asynchronous software, priority scheduling and priority displays, and human-in-the-loop decision capability, which set the foundation for modern, ultra-reliable software design and engineering," the citation for her medal read. [13][14][15] Her work contributed to Lorenz's publications on chaos theory. [1] Her remains were cremated at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, and her ashes were scattered in Amenia, New York.[20]. 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. In a few seconds he had to decide whether to land on the moon despite the risk or abort the landing and return with the honey on his lips. She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo program. (Revised December 29, 2004). Her most visible appearances during this period were as general store owner, Cora, in a national series of television commercials for Maxwell House coffee. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. The character is considered to be one of the screen's greatest and most memorable villains of all time. [3], Hamilton made her screen debut in the MGM film Another Language (1933) starring Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery. She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. Your email address will not be published. We had to find a way and we did. A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actor in films for seven years before she was offered the role that defined her public image. [19] She later moved to Millbrook, New York. By 1968, she was in charge of all Command Module software, which was all the software for navigation and lunar landing guidance. She was severely burned during the "Surrender Dorothy!" Margaret Hamilton Biography, Facts & Life Story. From 1961 to 1963, Hamilton worked on the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Project at the MIT Lincoln Lab,[14] where she was one of the programmers who wrote software for the prototype AN/FSQ-7 computer (the XD-1), used by the U.S. Air Force to search for possibly unfriendly aircraft. is 5'(1.52m) . margaret-hamilton-bio-wiki-age-family-net-worth-height-nationality-and-facts.html. In later years, Hamilton appeared in films and made frequent cameo appearances on television sitcoms and commercials. 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. Daneman's nephew refused to meet Hamilton because even though he understood she was an actress, he thought it was still possible she really was like the character in the movie. Coming up with solutions and new ideas was an adventure. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. She graduated from Hancock High School and studied at the University . 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. "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," she said. She lived in Manhattan for most of her adult life, and summered in a cottage on Cape Island, Southport, Maine. The Directors verdict reached Neil on the radio: GO, Go ahead, free. 2003 Annual Report of the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board, 2003. Hamilton never remarried. In the 1960s, Hamilton was a regular on another CBS soap opera, The Secret Storm, playing the role of Grace Tyrell's housekeeper, Katie.