The first offensive lineman to make the list is veteran left tackle, Trent Williams, and deservingly so for his tenacity and durability in one of the hardest positions to remain consistent in on the field. After receiving offers from Oklahoma State, Louisiana State, and Texas A&M, Williams decided to take his talents to the University of Oklahoma in 2006. After one of the starting offensive linemen went down with a broken leg during his freshman year, Williams filled the role-playing 462 and bulldozing his way to 75 knockdowns. In his final season with the Sooners in 2009, Williams played 885 plays and earned 102 knockdowns boosting his stock on the draft charts.
In the 2010 NFL Draft, Trent Williams was selected 4th overall by the Washington Redskins where he has played his entire NFL career up until this season. Williams unsatisfied with the organization didn't report to the team's 2019 training camp and is currently in trade rumors with the Cleveland Browns. In nine seasons with the Redskins, Williams has earned seven Pro Bowl honors and started in 119 out of the 120 games he's been active on the roster. He's also averaged career earnings of approximately $10.9 million per year with an original six-year contract of $60 million in 2010 and a five-year $66 million extension signed in 2015 that makes him as paid as he is.
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."