Lonnie George Johnson, most famous for inventing the Super Soaker water gun, was born on October 6, 1949, in Mobile, Alabama. His father worked as a truck driver and his homemaker mother occasionally worked service jobs.
Is Lonnie Johnson the inventor of the Super Soaker still alive?
Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949) is an American inventor, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur, whose work includes a U.S. Air Force-term of service and a twelve-year stint at NASA, where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
What did Lonnie Johnson do in the Air Force?
Johnson joined the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the Strategic Air Command where he helped develop the stealth bomber program. He then moved on to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979 as a systems engineer for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Cassini mission to Saturn.
Where was the Super Soaker invented?
While the Super Soaker first hit toy store shelves in 1990, when it was known as the Power Drencher, it was actually first conceived in 1982, in the bathroom and basement of a NASA engineer named Lonnie Johnson.
How many Super Soakers have been sold?
The Super Soaker has now sold over 250 million units since it launched, earning Larami and then Hasbro, which bought the toymaker in the ’90s, well over $1 billion over the last 30 years. In 2015, the Super Soaker was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
When was the Super Soaker made?
1990
The first Super Soaker went on sale in 1990, when Johnson worked out a deal with Larami Corporation, a maker of inexpensive plastic toys and action figures, to produce his invention.
Who is Lonnie Johnson and what did he invent?
Lonnie Johnson. Lonnie George Johnson is an American engineer who is famous for inventing the super soaker squirt gun, one of the most popular children’s toys in the world. He also invented and is now working on perfecting the “Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter” which could be a huge advancement towards harnessing solar energy.
How many patents does Lonnie Johnson have in his name?
Lonnie Johnson (inventor) Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949) is an American inventor and engineer who holds more than 120 patents.
When did Lonnie Johnson invent the Super Soaker?
Super Soaker. But being an inventor, Johnson came up with another idea: replacing the water in the Super Soaker with a “toy [Nerf] projectile.”. In 1996, Johnson received patent US5553598 A for “Pneumatic launcher for a toy projectile and the like.”.
How did Lonnie Johnson invent the water gun?
His invention worked by partially filling a reservoir tank with water and then using a handle to force air into the chamber. When the trigger was pulled, the air pressure would force water to exit through a narrow hole, launching a blast of water more than 25 feet. He called his invention a “pneumatic water gun”…
What are some of Lonnie Johnson’s inventions?
Propelled by the success of the Super Soaker, Lonnie G. Johnson founded Johnson Research & Development, and went on to acquire dozens of patents. Some of his inventions, including a ceramic battery and hair rollers that set without heat, achieved commercial success.
What has Lonnie G. Johnson invented?
Lonnie G. Johnson is a former Air Force and NASA engineer who invented the massively popular Super Soaker water gun.
Who invented the Super Soaker?
Official website. Super Soaker is a brand of recreational water gun that uses manually-pressurized air to shoot water with greater power, range, and accuracy than conventional squirt pistols. The Super Soaker was invented in 1989 by engineer Lonnie Johnson.
Who invented the water gun?
The original pump-action water gun was invented by an American engineer, Lonnie Johnson, and the toys are manufactured under the brand-name Super Soaker by the Larami Corporation of Mount Laurel, New Jersey.
When did Lonnie Johnson leave the Air Force?
1979
In 1979, he left the Air Force to accept a position as senior systems engineer at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where he worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter.
Is Super Soaker still in business?
The first Super Soaker went on sale in 1990 and was originally called the Power Drencher….Super Soaker.
| Logo since 2014 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Water gun |
| Availability | 1990–present |
| Materials | Plastic + metal and latex parts |
What did black inventors invent?
It was there she came up with an industry changing idea that brought more urban residents with limited space into her store.
- Potato Chips.
- Gas Mask.
- Protective Mailbox.
- Blood Bank.
- Three-Light Traffic Light.
- Refrigerated Trucks.
- Electret Microphone.
- Automatic Gear Shift.
The Super Soaker story began in the early 1980s, when Dr. Lonnie Johnson, a Tuskegee Institute-trained mechanical and nuclear engineer, was working on NASA’s Galileo Mission to Jupiter.
Who is the most famous black inventor?
George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Lonnie G. Johnson, Garrett Morgan, Patricia Bath, Percy Julian and more are responsible for some of the world’s greatest technological and social advancements.
Who is the first black inventor?
Although Henry Blair is the first inventor to be identified as black by the U.S. Patent Office, he is not the first African American to be awarded a U.S. patent. Most historians agree that Thomas L. Jennings is the first African American patent holder in the United States.
Are Super Soakers worth money?
Super Soaker water guns are still around today and being made by toy giant Nerf. But fans of these water guns, driven by healthy doses of nostalgia, have paid as much as $600 for a vintage Super Soaker.
What has a black person invented?
Black innovators changed the way we live through their contributions, from the traffic light to the ironing board. Most people have heard about famous inventions like the light bulb, the cotton gin and the iPhone.
