The NASA Scientist Who Invented the Super Soaker

Remember the childhood hours of fun spent blasting your friends with neon-tinged water cannons? You can thank a NASA scientist for that. In 1982, Lonnie Johnson designed the Super Soaker. But that wasn't Johnson's only invention. The award-winning scientist came up with everything from the Nerf gun to a thermoelectric energy converter, and now he's got even bigger aims. Lonnie Johnson: We salute you.
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#SuperSoaker #Inventor #NASA

[@calebshade4991]

This man is the hero of my youth's hot summer days when I had nothing else to do.

[@StephySon]

+Caleb Lampshade I can reminisce endlessly on the summer days of when I was little and the fun I had with Super Soakers with my friends and cousins and siblings. And even now Nerf guns are totally fun. I have to thank this man for so much fun in my youth ^^

[@chaoticglory1238]

The Wooden Skeptic in

[@matthewashline5181]

Hchgvhbvjb n

[@EvilDeadFan11]

Same here! I remember some friends saying on a particularly hot day that they were going to hold a squirt gun battle the next day. So I went out to Walmart, and purchased the biggest model they had. Everyone else had maybe a pistol or the usual super soakers..yet when I shot them its as if they were blasted from a super powered garden hose. There was no doubt that they were hit lol.

[@benjaminantonyflored6303]

The Wooden Skeptic the thing kids use to soak other kids with nice wet fluids

[@butteryjohn8211]

Stealth bombers during the day, Super Soakers at night. This guy is a legend .

[@1224chrisng]

would Stealth Bombers be more stealthy in the night and Super-Soakers be more cooling and fun in the day ?

[@nigwardtheholyspirit5155]

Mapple Sample this was a year ago

[@B-Man-69]

I gave u a like. U need 1 more to reach 1000 likes.

[@jrkularatne2900]

A legend indeed

[@dzidkapl]

@@1224chrisng That's exactly the plan. He worked on Stealth Bombers in the day, so they fly in the night and worked on Super-Soakers in the night, so they can be used in the day. Pure genius, isn't it?

[@SuperPlatypus123]

That man's voice is fantastic.

[@vinylhedgehog5574]

Nolan T. soooo....much....vocal fry...

[@talltony7290]

mans*

[@retiredshitposter1062]

Did you just assume ze's gender?

[@xspgod6559]

+Tall Tony hey cutie

[@trollgod7906]

Nolan T. just like his brain

[@Revellius21]

My mother worked with Mr Johnson's wife as a school teacher for years. I used to spend summers over a his place, hanging with his boys. Great times, and Mr. Johnson was another awesome role model I looked up to when I was younger. Thanks to the whole Johnson family for some great times!

[@commiecomrade2644]

What a cool place to be. Did you play with Super Soakers?

[@samkovalenko6715]

"it still works" Yeah, unlike the new ones

[@adriansaravia]

omfg this is so true hahahahaha

[@adaml.5355]

It's a shame you cannot even buy a good quality blaster anymore. All the new soakers are just pump and boring. We need some higher quality, good looking, awesome ones.

[@dewitt3453]

Just get the hydro cannon

[@psmith85channel5]

The new ones were not invented by him; they tried to bypass his patent for the newer models

[@osbely]

Ooh burn 🔥

[@xXM0zUsXx]

I want a full length documentary about this man of genius ;)!!!

[@snuggle9339]

Mozus Roman first reply kek

[@noultraa]

I want a nerf gun m8.

[@Herbert04]

Once you invented a Super Soaker. Everything else is down hill.

[@hr45876]

I see where you are going there. Are you aware that everything Elon Musk is doing with the Tesla car is based on Lonnie's inventions. Look up the J-TEC engine. The ceramic and Li-air batteries are his inventions. No, we did not miss the magic of your misdirection. This is the real Iron Man.

[@InfiniteRandom]

Nice shut-down... and educational, too!

[@andynguyen8882]

In the next 15 years Nerf mechs will be available.

[@infernoprince887]

XD

[@sgtpepprs3]

nerf this

[@gordonfreeman1017]

dva?

[@MisterLiBRiUMz]

They already are available, just reverse engineer your mechs man! haha, they're not complicated :) I had an engineering project where I had to reverse engineer a Nerf gun and improve it's function somehow. We managed to improve its shooting distance by nearly 70% with just a couple adjustments

[@jdmjegan5049]

Andy Nguyen Nerf Gundams?

[@YodrizzleMashizzle]

"Wetter is Better"? More like "Moist is Noice"

[@malvoliomaximillian2001]

Yodrizzle ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@sylveon64yt33]

(.) _ ( .)

[@ceilingfan1334]

8===3 - - - ( | )

[@jayus2033]

🥵🍆🤤🥱

[@HondaCivic-nq1by]

You betcha

[@Jan-bc3ed]

dang this man needs to do voicing in movies.. like a villain's voice or something.

[@leroyhudson4311]

+julie bane Like a mad scientist trying to take over the world? Well what if art became life?

[@gabrielrowellbetancur3298]

Documentaries

[@Jun-Kyard]

star that's for Australians he needs to be in food documentary

[@Verdeniza]

Kinda reminds me of james earl jones who voiced for CNN and darth vader.

[@famousamos]

Those were so fun when I was a kid during the summers.

[@HansCent]

the real Lucious Fox

[@Iamifitaly]

HansCent boi

[@usmanrind9648]

HansCent so close to being the hundredth like!

[@NeilSharks]

XD

[@chicken1009]

This man helped get through my boring ass childhood. Many thanks to him!

[@darkfire2937]

Not everyone has a good childhood lmao

[@Meatshield108]

I miss the giant Super Soakers that you could over-pressurize and also had recoil when you fired them.

[@revert_irelia]

Meatshield108 i loved that so much

[@anthonymichael7888]

I still have one of those, i still can't handle the recoil.

[@LoliLoveJuice]

most comments mentioning he's black... why does it matter? he's a genius inventor with an awesome voice.

[@alexvargas3622]

This guy deserves a special place in heaven

[@bestboygamingandmore665]

alex vargas he gotta sleep beside God

[@JTManuel]

HE OWNS ONE HUNDRED PATENTS! Let it just sink in...damn!

[@LaserGadgets]

This needs to be at least 20 min or so :< 2:30 is not enuff.

[@itwillbefridaythe1354]

I pressed the timestamp…

[@kasual7626]

He was designing a super soaker and a stealth bomber at the same time😂

[@boardcertifiable]

I loled when he said he worked on the bomber by day and the super soaker at night. In fiction it's usually the other way around. 😂

[@hunterdavis6774]

That man brought fun to my summer

[@thenathanimal2909]

I speak for generations, thank you for making our childhoods that much better!

[@toshibavoodoo]

love to see an hour history on Lonnie Johnson!! Wish America valued intelligence as much as football.

[@xei862]

+toshibavoodoo as if they were mutually exclusive, -_-

[@MrJo-dn9vh]

You my friend, are an idiot.

[@toaq1964]

I wish America valued intelligence as much as religion

[@xei862]

Toaq You my friend, carry a good point. Honestly, the religious opinion is no longer as important as it was years ago. I hope being secular begins to popularly spike here as it has in Europe. However, I envy them for no other reason lmao 'MERICA! FUCK YEA!

[@RoIIingStoned]

I don't. It makes people interested in this stuff more unique. For some reason now I feel like programming

[@senorvillarruel8129]

member my first super soaker that shit had lights and sound effects that shit was tight!

[@Spocklee]

Crazy Villarruel when ur the kid with the coolest toy on the block

[@maia9557]

You sir , have made my childhood as one of the best times in my life because of one of your inventions , and for that *I thank you* !

[@asdif1380]

And he's using the money he earned on a lab and research to try and develop better batteries... Gotta love this man, batteries are definitely something that needs improvement, it's 2017 and I can't use my iphone for 1 day without having to charge it at least once, I remember back when I had a nokia that lasted for a week without charge, even if I played snake for an hour each day

[@user-pr3ft6gp8t]

His net worth is 360 million!!! Crazy!!!

[@user-yy9xu6pu2d]

You do know how famous his inventions are, right?! Surprised it's not more honestly

[@captainkapalot9644]

Jake Gribble my net worth is 10 pennies

[@rokeeffe91]

whoaaa

[@osbely]

ACE 54 my net worth is whatever’s in my pocket at the time.

[@abdulrafiqdimmie6134]

Jay z has 900 million

[@269sanchez]

my wife calls me super soaker in bed......I have bladder problems

[@Nate.mp4]

Who needs Morgan Freeman when you have this guy?

[@xxcakeboyxx6562]

Nate I do

[@donutello_]

Why not both

[@chompmoo507]

Nate WE NEED MORGAN FOR VOICE OVERS

[@adopodrinje1499]

an black american being an genius? we dont see that much here in europe.

[@kornbeef3389]

Nate uuuuuuu Jjcjcjjcj x jjj j j j j j jjjj jzxx jjx c xj j jxj

[@truthfulrobot9295]

God bless that man, he made 90s summers so memorable

[@carpproductions9124]

This guy is responsible for so many fun hours I had as a child

[@RandomFUN9]

This has gotta be the coolest guy ever

[@holeeshietpyro4072]

All that and hes still working hard in the lab to find new answers to everyday problems. Glad we still have him around.

[@fen4554]

Intelligence has this funny property where as someone has more of it, the more selfish and jaded they become, and then you break through the other side and start getting people like this.

[@ReviewsDude]

We need that battery for our smartphones! I hope you can work it out soon!

[@eatcarpet]

Wtf, you need to be a nasa genius to invent the super soaker

[@user-yy9xu6pu2d]

Yup

[@centricals]

eatcarpet maybe not a nasa genius but definitely a genius there's probably more that goes into inventing stuff than it may seem and remember this was years ago

[@Superfalcon-rf7og]

Well the original intent was wayyyyy more advanced but the dude was prob like “this would make a good toy”

[@scullyitsme]

Correlation does not imply causation

[@shourjoebasu1896]

Imagine working on top-secret science projects for the military and you get interviewed for a kid's toy! Truth is stranger than fiction!

[@PomZZ_X3]

He's actually an alumni of my school (Tuskegee University)!

[@PomZZ_X3]

@@jackyhawk6810 Honestly, I really enjoyed it, but everyone's experience is personal and different. It depends on you honestly. It's a small private school with an equally small student to teacher ratio, so if you're looking to feel like a family member and not a number it could be nice. However, they don't call the experience the Skegee' struggle for no reason, so be prepared. By the time you leave, it'll feel like nothing can get in your way because everything already has, lol. It's mostly a STEM and Business school also. There is an art program, but I would personally go to a cheaper school for that unless you are on a scholarship. As for the culture, there are a lot of students from California and a handful of students from the north, so you wouldn't be alone. Most of the students aren't even really from Alabama. It's a small community too, and most people go to the neighboring town for shopping (though there are quite a few small businesses scattered throughout Tuskegee though and many students don't know about them, so it's a good idea to explore).

[@samjohnson497]

This guy is my childhood during the warm and hot days we went out side and used the supersoaker while playing nerf fooball or basketball. Then during the chilly day and then up through winter we would go inside and nerf gun each other. I rember when the rocket launcher came out we would have that and the regular nerf guns it was all out nerffare.

[@beast_of_burden7762]

Thank you for the childhood memories

[@inventionstoriesonyoutube4340]

OutStanding!! You produce excellent inventor videos that help.

[@Zenigotcha]

Nice. I own the scatterblast supersoaker and yep its perfect for taking out my foes with some cool H20. Thanks Lonnie Johnson for creating a wonderful source of joy from my childhood.

[@theJellyjoker]

This is the man that helped invent my childhood.

[@BombDiggityBombDiggity99]

Tell the man thanks for a great childhood

[@Demonanimator]

The joy I feel knowing I own a few blasters from his patents.

[@staticr1055]

thank you Mr. Lonnie Johnson for keeping us cool in the summer in late 90s and early 2000s and also waiting for the day when I can buy my children their first super soaker.

[@zwagig1761]

Heard of him before. What a man. Would love to meet him one day.

[@michaelip4953]

“Wetter is better” That’s what she said

[@alZiiHardstylez]

What a legend! Many a memory was created in those hot summer days against those darn kids from the other neighbourhood.

[@Neo_Sauron]

Brilliant man! I salute thee!

[@SOUNDINTHECITY]

Thank you for providing endless summer fun.

[@666Sacer]

You guys make fine work!!

[@SimilakChild]

I use this and fill it with household Windex, it can take out ANY insect, large beehives, even wolf spiders.

[@Josh-le6lu]

I owe nearly my entire obsession with guns to this man.

[@isaacwood4071]

HIS VOICE IS SO BEAUTIFUL

[@LOLO-jj2by]

DR JOHNSON IS A GENIUS. THANKS YOU!

[@Noorullah1]

The most memorable moments of my childhood is when all the kids at the neighborhood park would bring their waterguns. Then divide into two factions and fight eachother in several battles all day. Me and another kid had super soakers. I had the iconic yellow with green water storage on top (like on his pin in the video) and he had the special super soaker that shoots a powerful blast if you pump it a bunch of times.

[@davidmays7102]

god bless this guy and all the fun he's let us have on those hot and humid days

[@aaronwilt2866]

What a cool guy, hats off to you!

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

The Super Soaker and the whole NERF weaponry are actually important inventions. They are possibly some of the best iterations of fake warfare for children, that is very important in a society where a lot of people might go into actual warfare at some point in their lives!

[@3bimm]

Diego Ruiz problem is nerf darts are inaccurate as hell, but nerf guns are still really fun

[@Shimeih]

And wet t-shirt contests were never the same 😂😂

[@1ukjunglednbraver]

he effected my childhood. we had it good then in the mid 90's as children. it was the golden age

[@NAzTRAdamUS]

thank you sir, changed my life

[@chilidog2469]

Life is full of mysteries and questions, and I like this one

[@Legofan1259]

holy crap! this man is amazing!!

[@bjr816]

My childhood toy. Thank You Lonnie Johnson.

[@michaelr5187]

Mr. Johnson, thank you for contributing to my childhood!

[@yomommastupid]

Thank you for making my youth fun...

[@kartiksoni4967]

Thank you sir.

[@tcoughiv]

what a freaking legend

[@juicescoonstein]

Thank you Lonnie!

[@onceislife1001]

I read about this guy in my book I'm so surprised!

[@abewalters8389]

That picture of her coworker sums up the late 80-90's in one picture... priceless.. :D

[@sawyerrice3244]

the vocal fry is killing me

[@thedude4795]

+Sawyer Rice he got soul

[@sawyerrice3244]

+Izio Shaba I was referring to the girl at the beginning

[@zk2934]

One word. GENIUS

[@QNakama]

How do you find all these awesome people!!

[@janroodbol5055]

From classified bomber to nurf gun that's a change for the better

[@2021king]

Lucius Fox

[@anthonyhernandez818]

I had a super soaker! It was so cool, for the 12 minutes it lasted before breaking.

[@bantehayes9973]

Super soaker was the shit during summer. What a great way to cool off and have a lot of fun with your friends.

[@MindzEnt]

This guy pretty much changed my life.

[@OneNationUnderPug]

In the grand scheme of things no but it’s fun example of how intelligent inquiry can turn into dumb fun.

[@krisfrosz133]

I had no idea it had a proper name Super Soaker. Back where I'm from, we just call it water gun or water pistol.

[@adamofblastworks1517]

I love this guy.

[@Outlawz143]

freaking iconic

[@MeepMeep88]

I remember the screw in part would fit the hose PERFECTLY. Then we turned the hose on and it was basically a pressure washer LOL. That thing hurt when you got sprayed with it, now that I think about it, probably could have blinded someone ha

[@florinadrian5174]

Go Lonnie, we need that battery.

[@angelnande7963]

This guys went to my school today, he's amazing

[@ashirarobinson8572]

i didn't believe it at first but this shows anyone can make a toy for kids🤯😳

[@corneliusbroadnax546]

from Mobile, AL. Hometown hero

[@myncp4729]

The guys a legend

[@motherofthesacredrealm9835]

This guy sounds like Morgan freeman and it’s awesome.

[@fernandob2139]

Please bring them back !!

[@iamhughmun]

this guy made my summers in Texas bearable

[@StardustLegacyFighter]

What a legend! 👏

[@UrMexicanFriend]

This guy is awesome I love super soakers

[@Luigi1000]

This was perfect. I had a few of them as a kid back in the 90's and still have the CPS4100 he has in that picture today. I miss the super soakers of old, they were the big guns which not only could output high volumes but also high pressure. Todays super soakers just don't cut it. I do know however why they were toned down, the CPS (Constant Pressure System) and the other higher pressure guns of the time could at close ranges lead to bruising or other minor injuries when playing like kids do. I'll be honest though I will miss going to our pool's free day and just whipping out that monster CPS 4100, if you had a good gun and could hold the bastard up long enough to aim people didn't even think of coming at you alone and always had to team up. The fill up time on most of the guns was horrible and left you the biggest target for others.

[@hectorvelez1546]

a genius man created this toy during his time in NASA and also his war pastimes... no wonder the supersoaker looks seemingly familiar to guns, but shoots water. fun times with that toy.....fun times indeed

[@magnablocker]

It looks similar to a gun because that is the best way to make a shooting device. What else would you expect? A stick with a button on the side?

[@crankyunicorn4423]

Thanks to this mate I got my Super Soaker 50 very cool toy I must say

[@Colorado_Girl3577]

Its sad the big heavy ones are gone the 90s ones were such a beast I had a hulk one

[@phantom4E2]

this man give me a lot of summer fun lol

[@phantom4E2]

and also makes the b2 bomber lol