Lonnie Johnson

Lonnie G. Johnson (born October 6, 1949) is an American mechanical and nuclear engineer and inventor born in Mobile, Alabama. After serving in the U.S. Air Force and working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he invented the Super Soaker water gun, which reached toy stores in 1990 and generated close to $1 billion in retail sales by 2013. He holds more than 250 patents.[1][2]

Early life and education

Johnson was the third of six children of David and Arline Johnson. At Mobile’s L. B. Williamson High School his classmates nicknamed him “the Professor.” In 1968 he won first prize at a regional science fair at the University of Alabama with a compressed-air-powered robot, and he graduated in 1969.[1][2] On scholarship at Tuskegee University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1973 and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering in 1975.[1][2]

Air Force and NASA

Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force, where he reached the rank of captain, and began working at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979. His work there included the nuclear power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter and engineering for the Mars Observer, Cassini-Huygens and Mariner Mark II programs; the two sources give slightly different dates and mission lists for this period.[1][2]

The Super Soaker

In 1982, while working on a heat-pump design, Johnson noticed that his prototype could fire a powerful stream of water. He spent several years refining the idea. In 1989 he licensed production to Larami Corporation, later acquired by Hasbro, and the toy first sold as the Power Drencher before being renamed the Super Soaker. It brought in about $200 million in sales in 1991 and was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2015. He later adapted the pneumatic technology to the foam-dart Nerf line.[1][2]

Energy research

Johnson founded Johnson Research and Development in Atlanta and leads companies working on solid-state batteries and on the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter, a device intended to turn heat directly into electricity. The converter received a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award in 2008.[1][2]

Honors

Johnson was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011 and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022, and Tuskegee awarded him an honorary doctorate (dated 2001 by one source and 2018 by another).[1][2]

FAQs

Where was Lonnie Johnson born? In Mobile, Alabama, on October 6, 1949.

What did Lonnie Johnson do at NASA? He worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including on the power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Lonnie Johnson
2. Wikipedia: Lonnie Johnson (inventor)

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue