It's extremely hard to believe that such a chiseled physical specimen such as Cameron Wake went undrafted, but sometimes the masses sleep on world-class talent. Born in Beltsville, Maryland, Wake played college ball for the Penn State, switching back and forth from linebacker to defensive end. While had a rather successful collegiate football career recording 191 tackles and 8.5 sack, Wake went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft.
In 2005, the New York Giants signed the hopeful youngster to a deal, but Wake later decided to ditch the NFL for the Canadaian Football League where he would make a name for himself. In two seasons in the CFL, Cameron Wake stacked up 39 sacks and was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player for both seasons. The following year, in 2009, Wake was signed by the Miami Dolphins were he would spend the next ten seasons with the team earning five Pro Bowl trips and be named All-Pro First Team in 2012. To this day, at 37-years-old, Wake is active on a roster with Tennessee Titans.
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."