Who invented water rockets?
I have found no online citation for who invented the water rocket, but a few hours spent searching in the US Patent Office archives yielded some interesting evidence. There are a large number of patents relating to toy rockets and guns, including the famous Park Plastics 2-stage water rocket. Patents before 1972 are not searchable for text, so this is a very slow process. If you find any additional relevent patents please send me a note. (dial-up users: Links provided at right are large pages that will take time to load) December 20th, 1898 Patent #616,410 entitled “Toy Boat” uses a water jet driven by compressed gas, generated chemically, to propell a small boat. Vinegar and baking soda? January 31st, 1956 Patent #2,732,657 entitled “Jet Driven Aerial Toy” is propelled by compressed air and water, but is more airplane than rocket. February 7th, 1956 Patent #2,733,699 entitled “Rocket Toy” is an elaborate self-contained rocket system for the new “space age.” Compressed air driven, no w
