Annie Jump Cannon

About

American astronomer who greatly impacted contemporary stellar classification when she created the Harvard Classification Scheme with Edward C. Pickering. She was the first woman elected as an officer of the American Astronomical Society.

Before Fame

She battled scarlet fever while a student at Wellesley College, leaving her mostly deaf.

Trivia

She classified 230,000 stellar bodies, which earned her the nickname of "Census Taker of the Sky."

Family Life

Her father, Wilson Lee Cannon, was a shipbuilder and state senator.

Associated With

She was among many famous Wellesley College alumnae, a list that would later include Hillary Rodham Clinton.