John Phillip Jaeger was born and raised in Granite City, Illinois, the son of a welder and a cook. Thanks to his brother, Gene Armes, who brought John to California to go to college, John earned a chemical engineering degree and a master’s degree in business administration. He married his college sweetheart, and together they traveled the world with their two daughters. John is a certified diver, licensed pilot, triathlete, marathoner (PR 3:07), and expert snow skier who currently plays tennis six times a week using the Y-string racket he designed and built to minimize framing mishits (Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17/706, 841). He has been widely published in national newspapers and magazines to educate the public and correct misinformation, and toward that end, he finally published Brilliant Creations: The Wonder of Nature and Life, an inspirational science book described by Dr. John Orosz as beyond incredible and, by The Book Commentary, as pure genius.