There aren't too many physical specimens at the quarterback position that have been built like Cam Newton. Standing at 6'5, 245lbs with breakaway speed and pocket presence makes Cam Newton an NFL anomaly. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Newton ditched the possibility of attending the universities of Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, and in order to attend the University of Florida in 2007. After accusations of stealing a laptop, Newton packed his bags and eventually landed in Auburn in 2010 where he won the Heisman Trophy, the Manning Award, and AP College Player of the Year. He led Auburn to both SEC Championships and BCS National Championship wins in his first and only season with the team.
Cam Newton was drafted 1st overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers where he's played all nine seasons of his NFL career. Cam became an instant impact player winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2011. In 2015, Cam Newton led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50, won NFL MVP honors, and Offensive Player of the Year which allowed him to cash in on a huge payday. After earning $22 million from his initial contract, Newton signed a five-year, $103 million contract extension with the Panthers in 2015. Thus far, he's earned $82.7 million of his contract money. Lately, Cam has been struggling with health issues and the Panthers have been riding with Kyle Allen as the starting QB. It could possibly be an end of an era with Cam Newton leading the Panthers.
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."