While Boomer Esiason might have one of the most ridiculous haircuts on this list (look it up), he definitely was an offensive leader worth keeping a close eye on as a defensive coordinator. And while Esiason might have also played for some pretty lackluster team's during his decade-plus tenure in the NFL, he's proven why he deserves to be on our top fifty quarterback list of all-time with his size and ability to maneuver outside of the pocket and pick up yardage with his feet. The 6'5 quarterback hailing from East Islip, New York played his collegiate football at the only institution willing to offer him a scholarship, the University of Maryland. While at Maryland, Boomer broke seventeen different football records, was named All-American in his final two seasons (1982 and 1983), and helped the Terrapins secure an ACC Championship over the North Carolina Tar Heels in his final home game.
Despite his impressive play at the University of Maryland, Boomer Esiason was picked 38th overall in the 1984 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals where he played nine seasons out his fourteen-season NFL career. As the starting quarterback of the Bengals, Esiason led the Ohio-based football franchise to Super Bowl XXIII but stood no chance against Joe Montana and the red hot San Francisco 49ers ultimately losing 20-16. Boomer's AFC Player of the Year Award (1988), NFL MVP Award (1988), and three out of his four Pro Bowl nominations all came during his tenure with the Bengals. In 1993, Esiason was traded to the New York Jets where he played from 1993 to 1995 and signed additional contracts with the Arizona Cardinals and his former Bengals team before retiring in 1997.
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."