The Houston Texans have only existed for twenty years, so with a young franchise, we have young talent to crown as their greatest athlete to date. While Andre Johnson did play the majority of his fourteen-year career with the Texans and become a 7x Pro Bowler, defensive end, Justin James Watt is taking the title for the Houston Texans. In a where lprotecting offensive players has become a focal point, J. J. Watt still strikes fear into quarterbacks and running backs alike. His agility and brute force terrorizes offensive linemen night in and night out when he's on the field.
After just two seasons of collegiate football at the University of Wisconsin, Watt was prepared to begin his NFL career. The 6'5, 290lbs defensive lineman was selected 11th overall by the Houston Texans in the 2011 NFL Draft and has been a member of the organization ever since. In just nine seasons with the team, Watt is responsible for 468 tackles and 95 sacks. With the season currently in play those numbers are only going to increase for the 5x Pro Bowler and 3x NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The sky is the limit for J. J. Watt as of now, all he has to do is remain healthy and the Hall of Fame will be calling his name.
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."