What is lonnie johnson famous for
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Lonnie Johnson (inventor)
American inventor (born 1949)
For other uses, see Lonnie Johnson.
Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949) is an American inventor, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur, best known for inventing the bestselling Super Soaker water gun in 1989. He was formerly employed at the U.S. Air Force and NASA, where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[2]
Early life
Johnson was born in Mobile, Alabama on October, 6th 1949.[3] 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. He had 5 siblings. His father explained the basic principles of electricity to Johnson at an early age.[4] Stating that he "always liked to tinker with things," Johnson earned the nickname "the Professor" from kids in the neighborhood.[4] He once "tore up his sister's baby doll to see what made her eyes close".[2] He also tried to cook up rocket fuel in a saucepan but in doing so almost burned down the house.
Education
As
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Lonnie Johnson is president and founder of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., a technology development company, and its spin off companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC; Johnson Electro- Mechanical Systems, LLC; and Johnson Real Estate Investments, LLC.
Johnson holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering, and an honorary Ph.D. in Science from Tuskegee University. Upon graduation, he worked as a research engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and then joined the U. S. Air Force, serving as Acting Chief of the Space Nuclear Power Safety Section at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1979, he left the Air Force to accept a position as Senior Systems Engineer at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where he worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter. Returning to the Air Force in 1982, he served as an Advanced Space Systems Requirements Officer at Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, and as Chief of the Data Management Branch, SAC Test and Evaluation Squadr
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Lonnie Johnson (inventor) facts for kids
This article is about Lonnie Johnson (disambiguation)|Lonnie Johnson. For other uses, see Lonnie Johnson (inventor) (disambiguation).
Quick facts for kids Lonnie Johnson | |
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| Born | Lonnie George Johnson (1949-10-06) October 6, 1949 (age 75) Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Tuskegee University (BS, MS) |
| Occupation | Inventor, engineer |
| Years active | 1978–2013 |
| Known for | Super Soaker, Nerf Blaster |
| Spouse(s) | Linda Moore |
| Children | 4 |
Lonnie George Johnson (born October 6, 1949) is an American inventor, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur, best known for inventing the bestselling Super Soaker water gun in 1989. He was formerly employed at the U.S. Air Force and NASA, where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Early life
Johnson was born in Mobile, Alabama. 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. Stating that he "always lik
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