Lonnie George Johnson (75)

On May 27, 1986, the U.S. Patent Office granted a patent
to  African American inventor Lonnie Johnson for his toy       
design simply titled ”Squirt Gun.”

       
After a few name changes and additional patents,
Johnson’s invention—ultimately re-named the
“Super Soaker®”—would become the best-selling
water toy of all time, eventually earning its rightful
place in the American National Toy Hall of Fame.       

Johnson was formerly employed at the U.S. Air
Force/ NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory^.

The National Toy Hall of Fame located in the outdoor Hasbro Game Park at The Strong National Museum of Play in
Rochester, New York.         
       

On May 25, 1977, Memorial Day weekend opened with an
intergalactic bang as the first of George Lucas’ blockbuster
Star Wars movies hit American theaters.

The incredible success of Star Wars–it received seven Oscars,
and earned $461 million in U.S. ticket sales and a gross of close
to $800 million worldwide–began with an extensive, coordinated marketing push by Lucas and his studio, 20th Century Fox,
months before the movie’s release date.

Arlington National Cemetery.

Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal
holiday for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel
who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer
in the United States.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The 142nd Wing of the Portland Air
National Guard Base is set to conduct Memorial Day flyovers
across northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.

The flyovers, featuring F-15 Eagle fighter jets, will take place at
various community locations on Monday, May 26.

Maj. Graham Johnson, one of the two pilots participating in the
flyovers, expressed his pride in the mission. "It’s an incredible
honor to fly for the Air National Guard on Memorial Day, paying
tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom."

The flyovers are scheduled to begin at 9:14 a.m. at Forest Lawn
Cemetery in Gresham and will continue at several other sites,
including Veterans Memorial in Springfield, Willamette National
Cemetery in Portland, and Fort Vancouver in Vancouver,
Washington.