It seems like there isn't anything Joe Haden can't do. During his high school athletic career, Haden led the Maryland-based, Friendly High School to a state championship with a 14-0 record playing both quarterback and safety. Haden set a state record with 7,371 passing yards and tied the state record with 80 touchdown passes. He also led his high school to two state championships as the team's starting poit guard. With all of this undeniable talent, Haden attended the University of Florida where he switched positions to cornerback and helped the team win the BCS National Championship against the Oklahoma Sooners as a sophomore in 2008.
The 2009 unanimous All-American was drafted 7th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Out the gate, the Browns offered the rookie a five-year $50 million contract with $26 million guaranteed. The contract was later renegotiated to $40 million with $14 million guaranteed. However, it didn't matter much, because Haden signed a $67 million five-year extension with the team in 2014. Unfortunately, that contract was terminated and the 2x Prowl Bowl cornerback took his talents to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017 where he racked up a $27 million bill for his services. This year, he signed a $22 million two-year extension with the team but has accumulated $107.5 million in total revenue this far.
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."