Hailing from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Trent Green has carved out a legacy worth recognition from the quarterback position. His fifteen-season NFL career did not come without adversity, it took Green time to become a trustworthy, reliable first-string quarterback in the league and he earned the recognition he now is receiving as one of the better quarterbacks in pro-football history. Green played his collegiate football at Indiana University Bloomington from 1989 to 1992. In his four seasons as a Hoosier, Green led the team to the 1991 Copper Bowl and threw for 5,400 yards and 23 touchdowns.
After an impressive stint in Indiana, Trent Green was selected 222nd overall in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers where he was placed as a backup and didn't see a single snap from center. In 1994, Green took his talents to the Canadian Football League where he played for the British Columbia Lions for a single season. In 1995, Green made his way back to the NFL as a member of the Washington Redskins and again saw no playing time until 1998. In 199, Green signed a deal with the St. Louis Rams where he was slated to be a starter, but a season-ending knee injury took him out and Kurt Warner led the Rams to a Super Bowl (XXXIV) victory in 2000. Green's most prominent years came from his tenure as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs where he was a 2x Pro Bowler (2003, 2005). After a single season with the Miami Dolphins (2007) and an additional season back with the Rams, Green retired in 2010. He currently holds the tied NFL record for the longest touchdown pass at 99 yards.
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."