Maggie Gyllenhaal of the Gyllenhaal clan seems to be one of the more eclectic members of the family as her choice of films seems to take on more artistic feels. For instance her participation in cult classic Donnie Darko, a movie that's on its way to being a classic in The Dark Knight, the 2002 film Secretary, Crazy Heart, and her latest project in the Sundance film, The Kindergarten Teacher. Not to mention she plays one hell of a prostitute in HBO's The Deuce which might have actually gone over well with her look-a-like in American Libertarian movement co-founder, Rose Wilder Lane.
Lane is known for her series of writing which includes her notable work entitled, The Discovery of Freedom. Lane also once wrote for African-American newspaper, The Pittsburgh Courier, and advocated for both anti-racism and laissez-faire from 1942-45. Rose Wilder Lane later passed away in her sleep at the age of 81-years-old. Honestly, Maggie should be honored to resemble such a beautiful soul and hardworking woman like Rose Wilder Lane.
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."