When most people hear the name Lonnie Johnson, they think of the Super Soaker, the iconic water gun that became one of the most successful toys in history. But the real story of Lonnie Johnson runs far deeper than toy shelves.

He is a NASA engineer, Air Force veteran, inventor, and one of the greatest Black innovators of the 20th and 21st century. His work helped power spacecraft, shape American defense systems, and inspire generations of Black kids to explore science.

Yet so many still don’t know the truth:
The man behind the world’s best-selling water toy is also behind some of NASA’s most advanced energy inventions.

Let’s break down his life, journey, achievements, and the surprising stories most people have never heard.

From Mobile, Alabama to Scientific Prodigy

Lonnie George Johnson was born in 1949 in Mobile, Alabama, during segregation, when opportunities for young Black kids in STEM were nearly nonexistent. But Johnson was different. He didn’t wait for opportunities; he created them.

As a child, he was known in his neighborhood as “The Professor” because he was always building something, engines, rockets, homemade gadgets. At just 13 years old, he built a robot from scrap metal that was so advanced it won him a spot at a national science fair.

Most people don’t know:
Johnson built a fully functioning robot in the 1960s, decades before robotics became mainstream.

His brilliance was already undeniable.

Becoming an Engineer Against All Odds

Johnson attended Tuskegee University, an institution with a long legacy of Black excellence, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering. His goal wasn’t just to get a degree; he wanted to change the world through science.

And he did.

After Tuskegee, Johnson joined the U.S. Air Force as an engineer. He worked on high-tech military projects that later helped shape the future of American defense.

Then NASA came calling.

His Work at NASA That History Books Don’t Highlight Enough

Lonnie Johnson worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), contributing to missions like:

• Galileo mission to Jupiter
• Cassini mission to Saturn
• Mars Observer project
• Development of nuclear power sources for spacecraft

He wasn’t just another engineer, he was one of the top minds working on the systems that allowed NASA’s deep-space missions to function.

Most people don’t know:
Johnson helped develop the power systems that keep spacecraft alive in the harshest environments of the solar system.

The same mind behind the Super Soaker was literally helping NASA explore other worlds.

Accidental Genius: How He Invented the Super Soaker

In 1982, while working on a heat pump invention at home, Johnson tested a nozzle and accidentally blasted a powerful stream of water across the bathroom.

That moment changed toy history forever.

He realized he had stumbled upon something revolutionary, a pressurized water gun that could shoot farther and stronger than any toy on the market.

He refined it, patented it, and partnered with Larami (later Hasbro). The result?

The Super Soaker became one of the top 20 highest-selling toys of all time.
It earned over $1 billion in sales and changed summer fun forever.

What most people don’t know:
Despite all that money, Johnson had to sue Hasbro to get the royalties he was owed, and he won millions in a settlement.

That fight became a symbol of how Black inventors are often undervalued, even when their creations change industries.

Beyond Toys: The Energy Innovations That Could Change the Future

Today, Johnson runs Johnson Research & Development and the Johnson Battery Technologies companies. His most important work now is in energy innovation, particularly:

• Solid-state batteries
• Thermal energy storage systems
• Green power technology

These inventions are so advanced that major tech and energy companies are watching closely. Johnson might change the world again, this time through clean energy.

Most people don’t know:
Johnson’s battery innovations could one day help power electric cars, space exploration, and renewable energy grids.

He’s not done inventing, not even close.

A Legacy Bigger Than Any Water Gun

Lonnie Johnson is more than an engineer.
More than an inventor.
More than a NASA mastermind.

He is one of the most impactful Black innovators in American history, whose work has touched everything from childhood play to interplanetary exploration.

From a boy in Alabama building robots out of scrap metal…
…to a world-changing engineer with more than 100 patents,
…to an icon whose genius continues shaping the future…

Lonnie Johnson is the kind of figure every young Black kid should grow up knowing about.

And the world still hasn’t given him all his flowers.