Macho Man Randy Savage is one of the most cherished, eclectic, and respected personalities in all of wrestling. Savage's over-the-top persona, flashy apparel, and vocal cadence have surpassed recognition in just the pro-wrestling world, he's become a pop culture figure that everyone has come to know and love. Inside the ring, Macho Man, was now for overpowering his opponents, outside of the ring he is arguably the greatest monologue deliverer pro-wrestling has ever seen.
As the headliner of multiple Wrestlemania's, Randy Savage ultimately ended his wrestling career as a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion, one-time Intercontinental Champion, 1989 King of the Ring Winner, and posthumous WWE Hall of Fame inductee in 2015. Randy Savage passed away at the age of 58-years-old due to suffering a fatal heart attack while driving in 2011. His passing shook the world, but his impact and wrestling legacy will live on forever.
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."