The House System

Marie Curie pioneered the study of radioactivity until her death in 1934. Today, she is recognized throughout the world not only for her ground-breaking Nobel Prize-winning discoveries but also for having boldly broken many gender barriers during her lifetime. Curie became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from a French university, as well as the first woman to be employed as a professor at the University of Paris. Not only was she the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, but also the first person (man or woman) ever to win the award twice and for achievements in two distinct scientific fields.

Mary Jackson - After working for years and obtaining another degree, she became NASA's first black female engineer. Throughout her life Mary showed many heroic traits. She was brave, selfless, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Mary Jackson's ambition and selflessness is what makes her deserving of the title “Hero”. Her math and science skills earned her a position as a "human computer" for NASA, and she later became NASA's first Black female engineer. Along with serving a vital role in the development of the space program, she helped other women and minorities advance their careers.

Nelson Mandela is known for several things, but perhaps he is best known for successfully leading the resistance to South Africa's policy of apartheid in the 20th century, during which he was infamously incarcerated at Robben Island Prison (1964–82). He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993, along with South Africa's president at the time, F.W. de Klerk, for having led the transition from apartheid to a multiracial democracy. Mandela is also known for being the first black president of South Africa, serving from 1994 to 1999.

Alan Turing broke the German Enigma code during World War II and devised the Turing machine and the Turing test of computer intelligence. During World War II, he developed a machine that helped break the German Enigma code. He also laid the groundwork for modern computing and theorized about artificial intelligence. Alan Turing took his own life 2 years after being outed as gay. Homosexuality was still a crime in Great Britain at the time and Turing was convicted of “indecency”. He died from eating an apple laced with cyanide. He was only 41 years old. At the time the public had no idea what he had contributed to the war effort. Sixty years later, Queen Elizabeth II officially pardoned Turing.