Delaware is one of those states that isn't necessarily known for pumping out elite pro-level athletes, but they did have a couple of NFL alumni hail from the state one especially in the form of offensive tackle Luke Petitgout. The 6'6, 310lbs, Milford, Delaware-bred tackle made his way to the prestigious football program at the University of Notre Dame where notched a total of 74 knockdown blocks in 1998 that caught the attention of NFL scouts around the league.
Petitgout declared himself for the NFL Draft the following year where he was picked 19th overall by the New York Giants in the 1999 NFL Draft. While Petitgout didn't stack up a ton of individual accolades throughout his career, he did play nine seasons in the league starting 110 games out the 117 games he was an active participant in. Unfortunately, after being signed by the Tampa Bay Bucs in March 2007, he tore his ACL week four against the Carolina Panthers which ultimately ended his football career.
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."