While Drew Bledsoe's legacy may be foreshadowed by the performance of his then-backup, Tom Brady, his legacy helped rebuild the New England Patriots franchise to what it is today. Bledsoe was a high-volume quarterback that wasn't afraid to let the ball fly on any defense the NFL had to offer. During his three-year tenure at Washington State University, Bledsoe shattered a multitude of records including most passing yards in a single game (476), most pass completions in a single season (241), and single-season passing yards (3,946). In 1992, Bledsoe led the Cougars to a 31-28 Copper Bowl victory over the Utah Utes and won the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Award.
In the 1993 NFL Draft, Drew Bledsoe was selected 1st overall by the New England Patriots where he would play nine seasons out of his fourteen-season NFL career. While a member of the Patriots, Bledsoe became the youngest quarterback to surpass 10,000 and 20,000 passing yards. Bledsoe also holds the record for most completions in a game with 45. The 4x Pro Bowler did win a ring in his final season with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI. Bledsoe would go to play three seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 2002 to 2004 and the Dallas Cowboys from 2005 to 2006. Injuries and some lackluster performances helped Bledsoe choose retirement in April 2007, but he will forever be known as a legend in New England.
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."