Women in Science

Annie Jump Cannon

Astronomer

Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941) developed a stellar classification system that became the standard of the Harvard Observatory. She went on to classify over 500,000 stars—more than any person had done—and oversee their cataloging and publication. It was one of the most significant achievements in twentieth-century astronomy and provided astrophysicists with a wealth of crucial new data for studying the evolution of the universe. During her long career, Cannon garnered many firsts and awards: she was the first person to systemically classify the heavens, the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Oxford University, and the first woman to be awarded the Draper Gold Medal of the National Academy of Sciences. Cannon was also an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the American Philosophical Society.

Be sure to read about how other female, African-American and other scientists helped shape our history and make our world what it is today.