Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, the act fulfilled the promise of civil rights legislation that John F. Kennedy had made the year prior.

The sweeping legislation outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, provided for public school integration and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)