Lonnie George Johnson

Get to know

Lonnie worked on the stealth bomber program. You will find a drawing of the plane on his chest.

During his time at NASA, Lonnie worked on a project, that developed the nuclear power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter. Jupiter features in the background of this drawing.

In this fact-file find out why we turned Lonnie into a Superhero

Lonnie's location is currently unknown.

The Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System (JTEC) is listed as one of the top 10 inventions of 2009.

Alina Karabchevsky is an Electro-optical Engineer currently researching at Ben Gurion University.

Freezing powers would stop Lonnie's water in its track.

Full name: Lonnie George Johnson
Born: 1949
Occupation: Inventor & Engineer

Lonnie was born in Alabama. Lonnie's father explained the basic principles of electricity to him at a young age which ignited his passion for inventing and engineering.

Check out this interview with Lonnie Johnson who reveals what inspired the idea behind the super-soaker.

Video credit: Biography

Lonnie has stated that he drew much of his inspiration from George Washington Carver and in 1968, he represented his high school in the Alabama science fair. He created a robot he named "Linex" and took home first prize. Lonnie now develops energy storage systems, and holds more than 150 patents. He is also the inventor of the Super Soaker water gun, which is one of the world's bestselling toys.

An inventor creates or discovers a new method, device or other useful means that becomes known as an invention. Find out about some more inventors below.

Video Credit: NASA Goddard

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Lonnie features in our game: Top Quarkz

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Inventors: Incredible stories of the world's most ingenious inventions – by Robert Winston

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