Pennsylvania: Taylor Swift

Pennsylvania: Taylor Swift

Pop sensation Taylor Swift is so wildly popular and so successful that sometimes it feels like we're watching a Disney princess who's come to life. If we told you that she'd been born on a Christmas tree farm in Reading, Pennsylvania you'd probably believe us. That's just as well, because it's a fact! From that unusual moment on, Swift was singularly determined to become one of the biggest stars in the world. Her parents acquiesced to her burning ambitions, and agreed to move to Nashville so she could find a way into the country music business from there.

Breaking into country proved to be far too easy for Swift, but country only sells so many records, and so she branched out into pop (much to the chagrin of many of her early fans). Everybody knows a Taylor Swift song, whether it's 'Shake It Off' or 'Look What You Made Me Do,' and every time she has something new to release it feels like an event. She doesn't have many fans in the Kardashian-West household, but we doubt she cares all too much about that.

NEXT

Did You Know...

I

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.

II

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.

III

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.

IV

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.

V

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."

NEXT


Copyright © 2024 CultureHook