Lonnie Johnson (inventor): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia


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{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}

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{{Other uses|Lonnie Johnson (disambiguation){{!}}Lonnie Johnson}}

{{Infobox person

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'''Lonnie George Johnson''' (born October 6, 1949) is an American inventor, [[aerospace engineer]], and entrepreneur, whosebest workknown includesfor ainventing the bestselling [[Super Soaker]] water gun in 1989. He was formerly employed at the [[U.S. Air Force]]-term of service and a twelve-year stint at [[NASA]], where he worked at the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]. He invented the [[Super Soaker]] water gun in 1989, which has been among the world's bestselling toys ever since.<ref name="Bio.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/inventors/lonnie-g-johnson|title=Lonnie Johnson |work=Biography.com|publisher=A&E Television Networks|date=January 26, 2021|access-date=February 24, 2023}}</ref>

== Early life ==

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==Career==

During his time at NASA (1979-19911979–1991), Johnson worked on a variety of projects, including the Air Force missions Lab, developing the nuclear power source for the [[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]] mission to [[Jupiter]],<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|last=Pagan|first=Kennedy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/magazine/who-made-that-super-soaker.html|title=Who Made That Super Soaker?|date=August 2, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 4, 2016|archive-date=April 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405165859/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/magazine/who-made-that-super-soaker.html?_r=1&|url-status=live}}</ref> several weapons-related projects, as well as an engineer on the Mariner Mark ll Spacecraft series for the [[Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby|Comet Rendezvous]] and Saturn Orbiter Probe missions.<ref name=encyc>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2873400039.html|title=Lonnie G. Johnson 1949–|publisher=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=April 4, 2016|archive-date=April 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404113202/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2873400039.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He also worked on the [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit|stealth bomber]] program.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.biography.com/news/lonnie-g-johnson-super-soaker-inventor|title=Summer Inventions: A NASA Engineer Created the Super Soaker?!|date=July 21, 2014|work=Biography.com|access-date=July 25, 2014|publisher=A&E Television Networks|archive-date=July 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728081529/http://www.biography.com/news/lonnie-g-johnson-super-soaker-inventor|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1991, Johnson founded his own company, Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., of which he is also the president.<ref name="encyc" />

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More recently, he teamed up with scientists from both [[Tulane University]] and [[Tuskegee University]] to develop a method of transforming heat into electricity to make [[Green energy#Green energy|green energy]] more affordable.<ref name="NYTimes" />

As of 2022, Johnson has three technology-development companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC, Johnson Energy Storage, and Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems (JEMS), operating in the [[Sweet Auburn]] neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia.<ref name="wabe">{{cite web|url=http://wabe.org/post/super-soaker-inventor-now-engineers-batteries-atlanta-lab?nopop=1|title=Super Soaker Inventor Now Engineers Batteries At Atlanta Lab|author=Wheeler, Candace|publisher=WABE|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=July 31, 2015|archive-date=July 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726160048/http://wabe.org/post/super-soaker-inventor-now-engineers-batteries-atlanta-lab?nopop=1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.excellatron.com/mission.htm|title=Excellatron – the Company|website=www.excellatron.com|access-date=February 17, 2017|archive-date=February 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218064819/https://www.excellatron.com/mission.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Johnson Energy Storage, Inc. |url=https://www.johnsonenergystorage.com/ |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=The Future of Energy Storage |language=en}}</ref> JEMS has developed the [[Johnson thermoelectric energy converter|Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System]] (JTEC) which ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' listed as one of the top 10 inventions of 2009.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|last1=Kremer|first1=William|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37062579|title=Lonnie Johnson: The father of the Super Soaker|date=August 16, 2016|access-date=August 16, 2016|publisher=BBC News|archive-date=August 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816000433/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37062579|url-status=live}}</ref> Johnson Energy Storage has developed a solid-state battery and as of early 2023 is raising funds to develop a demonstration manufacturing line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=This billion-dollar-selling toy was inspired by heat pumps |url=https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/fun-stuff/this-billion-dollar-selling-toy-was-inspired-by-heat-pumps |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=Canary Media |date=January 31, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File: Bradley Byrne and Lonnie Johnson 2018 a.jpg|thumb|Lonnie Johnson with US Representative [[Bradley Byrne]] in 2018.]]

Johnson is a "part of a group of [[List of African-American inventors and scientists|African American inventors]] whose work accounts for 6 percent of all U.S. patent applications".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Karlin|first=S.|date=July 1, 2002|title=From squirts to hertz [Lonnie Johnson, inventor]|journal=IEEE Spectrum|volume=39|issue=7|pages=46–48|doi=10.1109/MSPEC.2002.1015464|issn=0018-9235}}</ref>

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* {{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/johnson.html|title=Lonnie G. Johnson, The SuperSoaker|date=September 1998|publisher=[[MIT]] School of Engineering|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528101947/http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/johnson.html|archive-date=May 28, 2013|access-date=April 4, 2016}}

* {{cite magazine|url=http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2007/03/millionaire.html|title=Yes, You Can Make a Million|author=Anderson, Jessica|date=March 2007|magazine=[[Kiplinger's Personal Finance]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301163132/http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2007/03/millionaire.html|archive-date=March 1, 2007|access-date=April 4, 2016}}

* {{cite magazine|url=http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar08/6079|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415024611/http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar08/6079|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 15, 2013|title=Super Soaker Inventor Invents New Thermoelectric Generator|author=Jones, Willie D. Jones|date=March 2008|magazine=[[IEEE Spectrum]]|access-date=April 4, 2016}}

* {{cite magazine|url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/news/4286850-10|title=Top 10 New World-Changing Innovations of the Year (With Videos!)|author=Ward, Logan|date=October 10, 2008|magazine=Popular Mechanics|access-date=April 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116030440/http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/news/4286850-10|archive-date=November 16, 2014}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite book |year= 2016 |author=[[Chris Barton (author)|Chris Barton]] |author2=[[Don Tate]] |title= Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream on Inventions |publisher=Charlesbridge |isbn= 978-1-58089-297-1 }} &mdash; an award-winning illustrated children's biography book about Lonnie Johnson

== External links ==

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[[Category:African-American inventors]]

[[Category:21st-century African-American scientists]]

[[Category:American scientists]]

[[Category:American aerospace engineers]]

[[Category:Living people]]