Lonnie Johnson was a smart guy — a very smart guy. As a NASA engineer, he spent his days coming up with solutions to complex problems. But when he went home, Lonnie’s brain kept whirring. So, he invented. He tinkered. He imagined. The vast majority of his creations had scientific, practical purposes. But his idea for a pressurized water gun? Well, that was just pure fun.



Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from:

Adams, Susan. “The Inventor Of The Super Soaker Talks About Turning Inventions Into Products And His Next Big Idea.” Forbes, March 3, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestreptalks/2017/03/03/the-inventor-of-the-super-soaker-talks-about-turning-inventions-into-products-and-his-next-big-idea/.

BBC News. “Lonnie Johnson: The Father of the Super Soaker.” August 15, 2016, sec. Magazine. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579.

Biography. “How Lonnie Johnson Invented the Super Soaker,” January 26, 2021. https://www.biography.com/inventors/lonnie-johnson-invent-super-soaker.

Center, Smithsonian Lemelson. “Meet Lonnie Johnson, the Man Behind the Super Soaker.” Text. Smithsonian, January 26, 2017. https://invention.si.edu/meet-lonnie-johnson-man-behind-super-soaker.

Dr. Lonnie Johnson - Engineer & Inventor of the Super Soaker | Sweet Auburn Stories - YouTube, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1k7DhGDoqY.

Dr. Lonnie Johnson: Meet the Billion Dollar Super Soaker Inventor EP. 22 - YouTube. Vault Empowers, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyQf6x5awfM.

“History of the Super Soaker :: :: iSoaker.Com,” n.d. http://www.isoaker.com/Info/history_supersoaker.php.

Iinex. “I Am Dr. Lonnie Johnson. NASA Rocket Scientist. Holder of over 100 Patents. Inventor of the Super Soaker. I’m Now Working on Advanced Energy Technology Solutions to Save the World. This Is My 2nd Time Doing This, so Ask Me Anything.” Reddit Post. R/IAmA, November 5, 2018. www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9ugvd7/i_am_dr_lonnie_johnson_nasa_rocket_scientist/.

Innovative Lives: Lonnie Johnson - YouTube. Lemelson Center, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXMVACdKn3o.

IPO Education Foundation. “Lonnie Johnson, Johnson Research and Development,” October 13, 2017. https://www.ipoef.org/lonnie-johnson-johnson-research-and-development/.

Meet the Man Who Invented the Super Soaker - YouTube. Insider Tech, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1zAO1WkG58.

Popular Mechanics. “7 Questions for Super Soaker Inventor Lonnie Johnson,” October 1, 2009. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a4335/4322161/.

Revolutionary Designs for Energy Alternatives: Lonnie Johnson at TEDxAtlanta, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y39WNUdbkM.

Schrempp, Zach. “Lonnie Johnson (1949- ) •.” Black Past (blog), January 6, 2011. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/johnson-lonnie-1949/.

Speaker Series: Lonnie Johnson - YouTube. USPTO, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7yRcuhe2M8.

“The Case of the Super Soaker and the Chamber Therein | MIT Sloan,” August 7, 2024. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/case-super-soaker-and-chamber-therein.

The Strong National Museum of Play. “Super Soaker,” n.d. https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/super-soaker/.



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