Lonnie Johnson (inventor): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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== Early life ==

Johnson was born in [[Mobile, Alabama]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/inventors/johnson.htm|title=Lonnie G. Johnson {{!}} African American Inventors {{!}} Scholastic.com|website=teacher.scholastic.com|access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219070130/http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/inventors/johnson.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> His mother, who finished high school, worked as a nurse's aide and his father, who didn't finish high school, was a World War II veteran. His father explained the basic principles of electricity to Johnson at an early age.<ref name=":1" /> Stating that he "always liked to tinker with things," Johnson earned the nickname "the Professor" from kids in the neighborhood.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579|title=The father of the Super Soaker|date=August 15, 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=February 11, 2020|language=en-GB|archive-date=January 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112213124/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579|url-status=live}}</ref> He once "tore up his sister's baby doll to see what made her eyes close".<ref name="Bio.com" /> He also tried to cook up rocket fuel in a saucepan but in doing so almost burned down the house.<ref name="Bio.com" />

As a teenager, Johnson attended [[Williamson High School (Alabama)|Williamson High School]], an all-black school in Mobile.<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite news|last=Ward|first=Logan|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/shooting-for-the-sun/308268/|title=Shooting for the Sun|date=November 2010|work=The Atlantic|access-date=July 25, 2014|archive-date=July 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718233602/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/shooting-for-the-sun/8268/1|url-status=live}}</ref> He drew much of his inspiration from [[George Washington Carver]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://lsc.org/news-and-social/news/bhm-highlight-lonnie-g-johnson-air-force-engineer-and-inventor-of-the-super-soaker|title=BHM Highlight: Lonnie G Johnson, Air Force engineer and inventor of the Super Soaker|website=Liberty Science Center|language=en|access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213161033/https://lsc.org/news-and-social/news/bhm-highlight-lonnie-g-johnson-air-force-engineer-and-inventor-of-the-super-soaker|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1968, Johnson represented his high school at a science fair in Alabama, where he was the only black student attending the fair; This was a time when African Americans had very little presence in science.<ref name=":1" /> There, he presented a robot he created, which he named "Linex," taking home the first-place prize. The robot was powered by compressed air.<ref name=":1" />