| Assemble compiled a list of people who, from the early days in the United States to the present, broke the glass ceiling across a variety of industries. Mary Ellen Pleasant | The early part of Mary Ellen Pleasant’s life is uncertain, and many historians have questioned whether she was a slave at some point.
Not only was she employed by Lockheed Martin as one of the only women mathematicians, but she also went on to work for the top-secret think tank Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The only woman engineer in the group, she was well-respected by her male colleagues. Later Ross went on to work for NASA helping to author the “NASA Planetary Flight Handbook Vol. III.” After retiring, she helped to inspire and mentor other Native American women in the field of engineering.