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Lonnie Johnson: The Father of the Super Soaker

posted by CoolHand on Saturday August 27 2016, @12:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the wet-em-down dept.

wirelessduck writes:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579

Lonnie Johnson was brought up in Mobile, Alabama in the 1960s, when black children were not expected to go far, but such was his talent for engineering that he worked for Nasa, and helped test the first stealth bomber. But as he explains here, the invention that made his fortune was a water pistol - the extremely powerful Super Soaker.

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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Entropy on Saturday August 27 2016, @12:42AM

    by Entropy (4228) on Saturday August 27 2016, @12:42AM (#393782)

    Good parenting goes quite a long way, as does bad parenting. Parenting skills are not possible to replace with any outside influence.

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  • (Score: -1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:25AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:25AM (#393804)

    You're right about that, dickmunch. My parents told my teachers I shouldn't socialize in school, and now I troll social media all day. Never knew a nigger invented the super soaker. Thanks, niggernews!

  • (Score: 2) by butthurt on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:29AM

    by butthurt (6141) on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:29AM (#393808) Journal

    Your second sentence is vague. Are you alluding to what went on in ancient Sparta, the Lebensborn programme, step-parents and adoptive parents, teachers, a Lord of the Flies scenario, or something else?

    • (Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:54AM

      by GungnirSniper (1671) on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:54AM (#393824) Journal

      In the context of our thread I believe he refers to the idea that no amount of outside influence, such as schools or community programs, can take the place of intellectually-nurturing parental figures. Just ask any teacher how much harder her job is trying to get through to a student with indifferent or anti-education parents.