Lonnie George Johnson
October 6, 1949 – Present
American inventor, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur
President and Founder of Johnson Research and Development Co. and Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems (JEMS) and Johnson Real Estate Investments LLC
Co Founder of Excellatron Solid State, LLC, Johnson Energy Storage, J
Inventor of the Super SoakerU.S. PATENT NO. 4,591,071 ,the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System (JTEC) and many more.
INVENTOR OF THE SUPER SOAKERS
- Education:
- Tuskegee University: B.S.,
Mechanical Engineering,
1973; M.S., Nuclear
Engineering, 1975; Honorary
Ph.D. in Science
Primary Connections: - JTEC Energy Inc.: Founder
and Chairman, 2019-present - Johnson Energy Storage:
Founder and Chairman, 2020-
present - Johnson Research &
Development Co. Inc.:
Founder and President, 1990- present
Primary Connections: - NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, 1979-82 and
1987-91: Engineer, Mars
Observer Project; Fault
Protection Engineer, Cassini
Project; Power Systems
Engineer, Galileo Project
Life and Early Years.
Lonnie Johnson is an American inventor, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur, whose work includes a 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. Johnson holds more than 250 patents, most of which are for his Super Soaker. Johnson was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He received several awards from NASA for his work in spacecraft system design at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 2008, he was awarded the Breakthrough Award from science magazine Popular Mechanics for his work related to JTEC and was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2015, the Super Soaker was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. In 2022, Johnson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
Johnson was born in Mobile, Alabama on October 6, 1949 to David and Arline Johnson. He was the middle child the third out of six children. His father was a World War II veteran who worked as a civilian driver at Brookley Field, the local Air Force base, and his mother worked in a laundry and as a nurse’s assistant.He attended Williamson High School, an all-black school in Mobile. He drew much of his inspiration from George Washington Carver. In 1968, Johnson represented his high school at a science fair in Alabama, where he was the only black student attending the fair. There, he presented a robot he created, which he named “Linex,” taking home the first-place prize. The robot was powered by compressed air.
In 1969, shortly after graduating from high school, Johnson attended Tuskegee University, obtaining a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1973 and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering in 1975. He also holds an honorary Ph.D. in Science from Tuskegee University. He then worked for the U.S. Air Force, where he worked on the stealth bomber program, before eventually joining NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979.
During his time at NASA (1979-1991), Johnson worked on a variety of projects, including the Air Force missions Lab, developing the nuclear power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter, several weapons-related projects, as well as an engineer on the Mariner Mark ll Spacecraft series for the Comet Rendezvous and Saturn Orbiter Probe missions. He also worked on the stealth bomber program.
In 1991, Johnson founded his own company, Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., of which he is also the president.
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 more affordable.
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. JEMS has developed the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System (JTEC) which Popular Mechanics listed as one of the top 10 inventions of 2009. Johnson Energy Storage has developed a solid-state battery and as of early 2023 is raising funds to develop a demonstration manufacturing line.
Lonnie Johnson is a “part of a small group of African-American inventors whose work accounts
In November 2013, Lonnie Johnson and his company Johnson Research and Development Co. were awarded nearly US$73 million following a dispute with Hasbro over underpaid royalties from 2007 to 2012.
Lonnie Johnson has received numerous accolades for his achievements. He was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011 and is a member of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, a mentoring organization for African American youth. Johnson lives in Atlanta with his wife, Linda Moore, with whom he has one child. Johnson has three other children from a previous marriage. Today he holds over 250 patents for his inventions.
Key memberships/awards:
- Alabama Business Hall of
Fame: Inductee, 2020 - National Toy Hall of Fame:
Super Soaker Inducted, 2015 - State of Alabama Engineering
Hall of Fame: Inductee, 2011 - National Black College Alumni
Hall of Fame: Industry
Category, 2010 - Credits to the National Hall of Fame ( Inventors), Library of congress