Michael Vick single-handedly revolutionized the quarterback position. We've never witnessed a quarterback that was as agile, athletic, and able to deliver the ball through the air as precise as Michael Vick was able to do during his prime years in the NFL. If Vick were to bypass his legal hiccups, he could have been a quarterback rated considerably higher on this list. After a childhood filled with turmoil growing up in Newport News, Virginia, Vick took his talents to Virginia Tech where he would play two seasons of football from 1999-2000 after being redshirted in 1998. Vick led the NCAA in passer rating in 1999 (180.4), a record as a freshman quarterback, and led the Hokies to a victory in the 2000 Gator Bowl where he was named MVP.
In 2001, Michael Vick was picked first overall in the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons where he would play six seasons out of his thirteen-season NFL career. In Atlanta, Vick would become known as the greatest rushing quarterback to take the field with a 40-yard dash time of just 4.33 seconds. He would lead the Falcons to two playoff berths (2002, 2004) before being suspended for the 2007 and 2008 seasons for alleged convictions of animal abuse. After returning from suspension, Vick suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles for five seasons leading them to two playoff runs (2009, 2010) before becoming an NFL journeyman, playing for both the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring in 2016.
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."