How Did Lonnnie Johnson Become An Inventor

Lonnie Johnson was born October 6, 1949. He was born in Mobile Alabama . His father worked as a driver for an air force base. His mother worked part time as a nurse’s aid. When he was young segregation was still going on. Johnson dreamed of becoming an inventor. He was always messing with something. During Johnson’s high school years he attended Williamson High School. An all black school. He was told not to dream of a career that he couldn't have. But it was George Washington Carver’s story that help his dream of becoming an inventor. He was nicknamed the professor but his friends. In 1968 he represented his school at a science fair. He was the only black student in the competition. That science fair was sponsored by Junior Engineering Technical

Society. He graduated with the last segregated class of Williamson High School. He then attended Tuskegee University with a scholarship. In 1973 he earned a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering. Then in 1975 he received a master's degree in nuclear engineering. Johnson then joined the U.S. Air Force.There he became a member of the government scientific establishment. He was then assigned to the Strategic Air Command. Johnson also helped develop the stealth bomber program. In 1979 Johnson moved to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There he worked as a systems engineer for the Galileo mission. He also worked as a engineer for the Cassini mission. Johnson then went back to the Air Force in 1982. Even though he was doing a lot he still found time to pursue his dreams. One being his lifelong projects was a heat pump that used water instead of Freon. In 1982 he had finally completed the prototype and tested it in his bathtub. With seven years of tinkering and sales pitches he finally sold the blaster to the Larami Corporation. Since then he had already left the Air Force to do business by himself. The blaster was first named the Power Drencher. But that did not make a big fuss. So finally they changed the name to the Super Soaker. It made 200 million sales.