Collection: Lonnie Johnson: From Rocket Science to Water Warfare

Witness the brilliance of one of our modern-day inventors; Dr. Lonnie Johnson, the Black genius behind the Super Soaker, one of the most iconic toys of the 20th century. Born in Mobile, Alabama during Jim Crow, Brother Johnson defied the limits placed on young Black boys and rose to become a NASA engineer, working on missions like the Galileo spacecraft and the stealthy B-2 bomber. But it was in his spare time, while tinkering with ideas for an eco-friendly heat pump, that he stumbled upon the concept that would become the Super Soaker. He took that invention, once dismissed by the toy industry, and turned it into a water-blasting phenomenon that changed summer play for generations of children—Black, white, and beyond.

 But this exhibit is about more than a toy. It’s about what happens when Black intelligence is allowed to flow freely, unhindered, unboxed, and fully celebrated. Dr. Johnson’s creation has brought in over a billion dollars in sales and proved that Black inventors are not just footnotes in history, they are leaders in science, business, and imagination. Today, Dr. Johnson continues to inspire through his work in clean energy and mentorship, investing back into the very community that raised him. Let this space remind us all: our joy, our play, our genius…they are revolutionary acts.