Ask any Nineties guy what they remember of the era, and they'll probably just talk about Pulp Fiction and Nirvana. But ask a Nineties girl, and they'll tell you about one far more important thing: the supermodels. Alright, so none of us would ever be that glamorous, or able to afford a single item in the Calvin Klein or Karl Lagerfield range, but still. Those dream women who paraded their stuff up and down the catwalks and filled the glamor mags to bursting were every girl's idol, big sister, and style guide all rolled into one. But what ever happened to all those huge names that defined a generation? Where are they now? Well, you're about to find out...
For the last two decades of the 20th century, a group of women essentially controlled the fashion industry. Their presence could make or break a runway show, and their exploits plastered covers of tabloids, from their relationships to their all-night parties.
From Cindy Crawford to Tyra Banks, these 13 women were inescapable for the better part of the '80s and '90s — and we loved them for it.
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."