doing the calculations and the computations necessary for the data to form a pattern and tell us about the university fell entirely to women. women computers. it didn t b start that way. professor pickering had a young harvard man doing that work for him, computing. but professor pickering was so frustrated with the quality of the young man s work, he once said his maid could do a better job. and so professor pickering fired the harvard man and replaced him with his maid. wilamina fleming who did a better job, even without the benefit of a college education. she actually turned out to be so good that she was eventually appointed curator of astronomical photos, photos
machines, they were women. those women made records of the data observed by professor pickering and some astroners, all men, who did the manly work of gasing at the stars and photographing thenl through har ward s powerful telescope. doing the calculations and the computations necessary for the data to form a pattern and tell us about the university fell entirely to women. women computers. it didn t b start that way. professor pickering had a young harvard man doing that work for him, computing. but professor pickering was so frustrated with the quality of the young man s work, he once said his maid could do a better job. and so professor pickering fired