California is known for its hooping community and there is no other pro-hooper in the state's history that could hold a light to Reggie Miller's flame. Ok, that might be a little dramatic especially in the company of names like Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Paul Pierce, and a ton of other qualified pro-basketball players. But none of those individuals named ever struck fear into the hearts of their opponents like Reggie Miller did.
At one point, Reggie Miller held the title for most three-pointers made by a single player with 2,560. Ray Allen would go on to take Miller's crown from him years later. Still, there was never a shot Reggie Miller was afraid as he played his entire NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller's also known for the one greatest moments in NBA history eight points in nine seconds against the New York Knicks in game one of the 1995 Playoffs to steal the first game at Madison Square Garden. To this day, Miller is known as 'The Knick Killer.'
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."