Williamina Fleming

In the 1880s, the Harvard Observatory Director was Frustrated with His Staff and Said His Scottish Maid Could Do Better. He Then Hired His Maid, Williamina Fleming, Who Ran a Team for Decades.

Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming contributed to developing a standard star designation system and cataloged thousands of stars and other astronomical phenomena. Fleming is best known for discovering the Horsehead Nebula in 1888. But do you know how Williamina Fleming was hired? In the 1880s, the director of the Harvard Observatory was dissatisfied with his staff […]

In the 1880s, the Harvard Observatory Director was Frustrated with His Staff and Said His Scottish Maid Could Do Better. He Then Hired His Maid, Williamina Fleming, Who Ran a Team for Decades. Read More »