Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly

long-term balance of the war in the
Allies’ favor.
“Victory through airpower!” Henry
Reid, engineer-in-charge of the Langley
laboratory, crooned to his employees, the
shibboleth a reminder of the importance
of the airplane to the war’s outcome.
“Victory through airpower!” the NACAites
repeated to each other, minding each
decimal point, poring over differential
equations and pressure distribution
charts until their eyes tired. In the battle
of research, victory would be theirs.
Unless, of course, Melvin Butler failed
to feed the three-shift-a-day, six-day-aweek
operation with fresh minds. The
engineers were one thing, but each
engineer required the support of a
number of others: craftsmen to build the