Lonnie Johnson Black History Month

WHO IS HE? Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949 in Mobile, Alabama) is an American inventor and engineer, who holds more than 80 patents. Johnson is most known for inventing the Super Soaker water gun, which has ranked among the world's top 20 best-selling toys every year since its release.

EDUCATION Johnson attended an all-black high school. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Tuskegee University.

CAREER After college, Johnson joined the U.S. Air Force, where he helped develop the stealth bomber program. Later, he worked at NASA on Galileo's mission to Jupiter. More recently, he teamed up with scientists from Tulane University and Tuskegee University to develop a method of transforming heat into electricity with the goal of making green energy more affordable.

SUPER SOAKER Type Water gun Inventor Lonnie Johnson Company Larami Hasbro Country United States Availability 1989–present Materials Plastic + metal and latex parts Slogan "Wetter Is Better!" (classic) "It's Nerf or Nothin'!"