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How a NASA Engineer Accidentally Invented the Super Soaker | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 1, 2025)
Lonnie Johnson wasn’t trying to change the toy industry.He was trying to fix a heat pump.
This episode of Smartest Year Ever uncovers how a NASA engineer, working on eco-friendly refrigeration tech, ended up launching one of the most iconic inventions of the 1990s. With a background in nuclear engineering, contributions to the stealth bomber and space missions like Galileo, Johnson’s career was already remarkable—but it was a bathroom experiment gone wrong that sent him on a path toward creating the Super Soaker.
Gordy shares the incredible true story of the invention that redefined summer for a generation, and the determined inventor who turned a blast of water into a $200 million breakthrough. From early prototypes made of PVC pipe and Coke bottles, to a $73 million lawsuit victory, to funding clean energy research with his toy royalties—this is the kind of accidental genius that reshapes industries.
Pressurized toys, space science, and a 40-foot water blast—all in one wildly fun and deeply inspiring episode.
Sources:
National Inventors Hall of Fame. (n.d.). Lonnie Johnson. https://www.invent.org/inductees/lonnie-johnson
Smithsonian Magazine. (n.d.). How Lonnie Johnson Invented the Super Soaker. https://www.smithsonianmag.com
U.S. Patent No. 4,591,071. (1986). “Squirt Gun.”
Johnson, L. (2013). Royalty settlement details. Retrieved from Design News:
Johnson R&D – Company Site. (n.d.). https://johnsonrd.com
#InventionStories #inventors #Toys #waterguns #NASAInventions #LonnieJohnson #AccidentalGenius #Hasbro #supersoaker Music thanks to Zapsplat.
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By GordyLonnie Johnson wasn’t trying to change the toy industry.He was trying to fix a heat pump.
This episode of Smartest Year Ever uncovers how a NASA engineer, working on eco-friendly refrigeration tech, ended up launching one of the most iconic inventions of the 1990s. With a background in nuclear engineering, contributions to the stealth bomber and space missions like Galileo, Johnson’s career was already remarkable—but it was a bathroom experiment gone wrong that sent him on a path toward creating the Super Soaker.
Gordy shares the incredible true story of the invention that redefined summer for a generation, and the determined inventor who turned a blast of water into a $200 million breakthrough. From early prototypes made of PVC pipe and Coke bottles, to a $73 million lawsuit victory, to funding clean energy research with his toy royalties—this is the kind of accidental genius that reshapes industries.
Pressurized toys, space science, and a 40-foot water blast—all in one wildly fun and deeply inspiring episode.
Sources:
National Inventors Hall of Fame. (n.d.). Lonnie Johnson. https://www.invent.org/inductees/lonnie-johnson
Smithsonian Magazine. (n.d.). How Lonnie Johnson Invented the Super Soaker. https://www.smithsonianmag.com
U.S. Patent No. 4,591,071. (1986). “Squirt Gun.”
Johnson, L. (2013). Royalty settlement details. Retrieved from Design News:
Johnson R&D – Company Site. (n.d.). https://johnsonrd.com
#InventionStories #inventors #Toys #waterguns #NASAInventions #LonnieJohnson #AccidentalGenius #Hasbro #supersoaker Music thanks to Zapsplat.