the super soaker water gun was invented in 1982.
when was the super soaker water gun invented?
1982
in 1982, air force and nasa engineer lonnie johnson conceived of the idea of a pressurized water gun after shooting a powerful stream of water in his bathroom while performing experiments for a new type of refrigeration system. several months later he built a prototype in his basement, using plexiglas, pvc pipe, o-ring seats and a two-litre soda bottle for the ample reservoir. johnson originally wanted to produce the toy himself, but realized that the costs were out of his reach. he attempted to arrange partnerships with toy companies to bring the product to market, but it was not until 1989 that he found success. while at the american international toy fair in new york city, he met the vice president of the toy company larami, who showed interest in the idea. in 1982, johnson decided to shift his focus from his current scientific career at nasa to the super soaker because the super soaker could potentially create enough funding for his own research goals. the revenue that lonnie received from the super soaker licensing provided enough money for lonnie to create johnson research & development co., inc. johnson then went home and built an improved prototype and made a trip to their headquarters in philadelphia where he made a successful sales pitch. refinements made with larami employee bruce d'andrade made its mass production feasible, and the first commercial version of the water gun appeared in stores the following year as the power drencher. in 1991 it achieved commercial success under its new name, super soaker.
super soaker
a contemporary example of a modern-day inventor is lonnie george johnson, an engineer. johnson invented the super soaker water gun, which was the top-selling toy in the united states in 1991 and 1992. in 1980 johnson formed his own law firm and licensed the super soaker water gun to larami corporation. two years later the super soaker generated over $200 million in retail sales and became the best selling toy in america. larami corporation was eventually purchased by hasbro, the second largest toy manufacturer in the world. over the years, super soaker sales have totaled close to one billion dollars. johnson reinvested a majority of his earnings from the super soaker into research and development for his energy technology companies – "it's who i am, it's what i do." currently, johnson holds over 80 patents, with over 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems.
list of african-american inventors and scientists