Picture a scientist doing an experiment in his bathroom. He hooks a nozzle up to the sink. Then, whoosh! It springs a leak, and a strong stream of water blasts all the way across the room.
That scientist was Lonnie Johnson, an engineer working for NASA. He was trying to build a new kind of heat pump, a machine that uses water to move heat around. His version would use water vapor instead of freon, a chemical that is harmful to the environment. But when that water went flying, Lonnie had a different idea. He thought the setup would make a great toy.
Here's why it was such a big deal. Before the Super Soaker, a squirt gun was pretty underwhelming. Lonnie's water gun built up pressure inside, and that made a powerful spray.
His very first model was homemade. He built it out of plexiglass, plastic PVC pipes, and a two-liter soda bottle to hold the water. Then he handed it to his 7-year-old daughter, Aneka, to test. She super-soaked every other kid on the Air Force base!
After a few name changes, the invention was named the Super Soaker. It went on to sell more than any other water toy of all time. It even earned a spot in the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Why do you think building up pressure made Lonnie's water gun spray so much stronger than an old squirt gun?
