margaret hamilton biography
I said to myself, 'Oh, boy, The Wizard of Oz! Played Aunt Eva on the radio series Ethel and Albert in the 1940s and 1950s . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She subsequently directed and supervised the developments of the Skylab space station mission. 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.. Only co-star Frank Morgan played more roles (five) in the film. In that role, she took the lead on the software used to govern the flight dynamics of the Apollo spacecraft, which were used for six landing missions between 1969 and 1972. 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. [48] Others have used HOS to formalize the semantics of linguistic quantifiers,[49] and to formalize the design of reliable real-time embedded systems. [61] Hamilton talks about "Errors" and how they influenced her work related to software engineering and how her language, USL, could be used to prevent the majority of "Errors" in a system. Her family later moved to Michigan and Hamilton attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for a time. Having started on the stage in the early 1930s, she began to work extensively in the theater after leaving Los Angeles. Hamilton next worked at MITs Instrumentation Laboratory (now the independent Charles Stark Draper Laboratory), which provided aeronautical technology for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Three minutes before the lunar lander reached the Moon's surface, several computer alarms were triggered. She often remarked about children coming up to her and asking her why she had been so mean to Dorothy. 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. Among them, there were 6 in which the man stepped on the floor of the Moon. Hamilton and Ray Bolger were cast members in the 1966 fantasy film The Daydreamer, a collection of stories by Hans Christian Andersen. She was Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for the Apollo space program. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. (Apollo 13 aborted before landing due to an explosion in the command module's service area.). Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 - May 16, 1985) was an American actress and educator. Earlham College, Richmond. Hamilton was a regular parishioner of the Presbyterian church. Hat, Coat and Glove. 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. Principal Investigator, Magnetometer Instrument, Cassini Mission, This site is maintained by the Planetary Science Communications team at. 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 later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. She soon transferred, however, to Earlham College in Indiana where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, with a minor in philosophy. "Kindergarten Lost Margaret Hamilton." The picture made a terrible impression of some kind on them, sometimes a ghastly impression, but most of them got over it, I guess because when I talk like the Witch, and when I laugh, there is a hesitation and then they clap. 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. At MIT, Margaret Hamilton was on the staff of the Draper Laboratory, founded in 1932 by Dr. Charles Stark Draper. I guess for a minute they get the feeling they got when they watched the picture. [4] However, in mid-1959, Hamilton began working for Edward Norton Lorenz, in the meteorology department at MIT. ..and your little dog, too!" The woman behind of cinema's most iconic villains, Cleveland-born Margaret . Margaret Hamilton (Margaret Brainard Hamilton) was born on 9 December, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, is an Actress, Soundtrack. JWST finds galaxies that shouldn't exist! A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actress in films for seven years before she was offered the role that defined her public image. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! However, once there, she preferred to accept work at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), as a software developer. 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. When she reprised her role as the Wicked Witch in a 1976 episode of Sesame Street, "the show's producers were flooded with letters from parents saying it was too frightening for children. They were married on June 15, 1958, the summer after she graduated from Earlham. , money, salary, income, and assets. She was contributing writer for Space.com (opens in new tab) for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. marriedcelebrity; April 19, 2019; Celebrity Gossip; Born as Margaret Heafield, she is an American system engineer, computer scientist and a woman entrepreneur as well. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). 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. )[citation needed]. Margaret Dawn Hamilton AM (23 June 1941 - 24 November 2022) [1] was an Australian children's literature publisher who served as the National President of the Children's Book Council of Australia from 1991 to 1992 and as a National Board Member until April 2017 when she formally retired. Dishonored Lady. I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks!" It was an ongoing joke for a long time. From 1961 to 1963, she worked at MIT on an unknown aircraft trajectory tracking project. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They're really scared for a second. She was 82 years old. 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. [23] This included error detection and recovery software such as restarts and the Display Interface Routines (also known as the Priority Displays), which Hamilton designed and developed. [19] She later moved to Millbrook, New York. 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. NY 10036. Hamilton, now an independent computer scientist, described for MIT News in 2009 her contributions to the Apollo software which last month was added in its entirety to the code-sharing site GitHub: 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. [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. Four years later, she obtained the Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana (USA). 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. 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. "Deeply Integrated Guidance Navigation Unit (DI-GNU) Common Software Architecture Principles". At 83 years old, Margaret Hamilton height She later founded two software companiesHigher Order Software in 1976 and Hamilton Technologies in 1986, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When asked about her experiences on the set of The Wizard of Oz, Hamilton said her biggest fear was that her monstrous film role would give children the wrong idea of who she really was. In recent years, a striking photo of Hamilton and her teams Apollo code has made the rounds on social media and in articles detailing her key contributions to Apollo 11's success. In 1945, she played the domineering sister of Oz co-star Jack Haley in George White's Scandals, comically trying to prevent him from marrying actress Joan Davis, even going so far as to throw a hatchet at her. "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. New York, Hamilton was the recipient of various honours, including NASAs Exceptional Space Act Award (2003). For her work, she was honored with the Presidential Medal. 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. She subsequently developed Alzheimer's disease and died in her sleep following a heart attack on May 16, 1985 in Salisbury, Connecticut at the age of 82. She had three grandchildren, Christopher, Scott, and Margaret. Hamilton has a diverse background, including an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Earlham College in Indiana, and postgraduate work in meteorology at MIT. She is one of the people credited with coining the term "software engineering". For this Laboratory, she developed codes for new programming routines. My Little Chickadee. 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. [16] A Republican, she supported the campaign of Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election. In later years, Hamilton made frequent . They're scared. 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. Margaret Hamilton Biography, Facts & Life Story. [2] Before she turned to acting exclusively, her parents insisted she attend Wheelock College in Boston, which she did, later becoming a kindergarten teacher. Margaret Hamilton, the actress whose role as the cackling Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz unnerved generations of children, died yesterday, apparently of a heart attack, at a nursing home in Salisbury, Connecticut. Phil Davis She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Managing Editor: With the error addressed, the lunar landings for Apollos 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 were made possible. Under her married name of Margaret Meserve, she served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education from 1948 to 1951. As Neil Armstrong was already preparing to bring the ship down, the computer started displaying two errors: error 1201 and error 1202. What are the Van Allen Belts and why do they matter? We had to find a way and we did. MIT Museum: Margaret Hamilton Apollo Photos. It turned out that the astronaut checklist, which governed the actions the crew had to do before landing, had the crew set the rendezvous radar hardware switch in the wrong position. Starred in the live on-stage musical "A Little Night Music" (with actress Jean Simmons in the lead role) during the mid-1970s in San Francisco. She was born on August 17, 1936, which makes Margaret Hamilton age be 82 years old as of now. 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. By some accounts, the astronauts had inadvertently left the rendezvous radar switch on, causing these alarms to be triggered (the claim that the radar was left on inadvertently by the astronauts is disputed by Robert Wills with the National Museum of Computing[29]). Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 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!. So I was assigned this program and I actually got it to work. [16][18] These made her code incredibly reliable because they helped programmers identify and fix anomalies before they became major problems.[26]. It even printed out its answers in Latin and Greek. Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. Margaret Hamilton Computer Scientist MIT Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton poses with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at MIT. [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]. Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 May 16, 1985) was an American actress and educator. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. For her work during this period, Hamilton has been credited with popularizing the concept of software engineering. ", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. 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. There was no second chance. Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 - May 16, 1985) was an American movie actress. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 1958. Hamilton spent six weeks recovering from the incident and refused to do any more fire-related stunts on the film set. Her most visible appearances during this period were as general store owner, Cora, in a national series of television commercials for Maxwell House coffee. She appeared regularly in supporting roles in films until the early 1950s and sporadically thereafter. American software engineer and businesswoman, American computer programmer, businessman, and philanthropist. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2018-2023, All Rights Reserved Super Stars Bio. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. "From 'Kiddie Lit' to Children's Literature: The Biography of Francelia Butler." Her solution: when you see a priority display, first count to The contract was awarded just weeks before then-President John F. Kennedy announced that he planned to have humans on the moon by the end of the decade. They liked to kid me about my radical ideas. Would spoof her famous role of The Wicked Witch of The West in a 1976 Paul Lynde Halloween Special for television. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Besides her work in Apollo, she was part of MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Semi-Automatic Ground Environment Air Defense System, or SAGE. [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. Hamilton has published more than 130 papers, proceedings, and reports, about sixty projects, and six major programs. "Margaret Hamilton, 82, Dies; Played Wicked Witch In 'Oz', "Ah, The Songs of Long Ago! She grew up during a time when very few women studied computer science, but Hamilton knew she wanted to write code. Margaret Heafield Hamilton was born on August 17, 1936, in Paoli, Indiana. Margaret Hamilton's net worth On August 17, 1936, Margaret Hamilton (ne Heafield) was born to Kenneth Heafield and Ruth Esther Heafield in Paoli, Indiana. Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. Updates? In March 1986, she founded Hamilton Technologies, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mutual respect was across the board. 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. According to MIT, this was the first air defense system for the country and helped to push forward digital computing in the 1950s and 1960s. more information Accept. Click here if you want to see this biography in Spanish translation. Both those elements were crucial during the Apollo 11 mission (1969), which took astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon. 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. Later in life, she would comment on the role of the witch in a light-hearted fashion. They have a daughter named Lauren. Margaret Heafield Hamilton (born August 17, 1936) is an American computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner. Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers. 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. She knew everything about these vital programs. "[13] She appeared as herself in three episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, between 1975 and 1976, because Fred Rogers wanted his viewers to recognize the Wicked Witch was just a character and not something to be afraid of. 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. Her husband is Paul Boynton Meserve (13 June1931 - 20 May1938)( divorced)( 1 child). If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. [11], In Boston, Hamilton initially intended to enroll in graduate study in abstract mathematics at Brandeis University. Later in the decade, she was in a little-known film noir, titled Bungalow 13 (1948), in which she again costarred opposite Cromwell. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. For her work, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA 's Apollo program. 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. As she grew, she quickly developed a passion for mathematics and decided to work in this domain. At MIT she began programming software to predict the weather and did postgraduate work in meteorology. August 17, 2016. [54][60] The IEEE Software September/October 2018 issue celebrates the 50th anniversary of software engineering. and they continued. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. And I asked him what part, and he said, 'The Witch,' and I said, 'The Witch?!' Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers.. For her work during this period, Hamilton has been credited with popularizing the concept of software engineering.
margaret hamilton biography