Consistency and reliability get you the big bucks in the NFL and if you want to see living proof of that, look no further than offensive tackle, Joe Thomas. Thomas began his sports career playing many positions on the football field throughout high school including defensive end, tight end, fullback, right tackle, and even punter. After receiving praise for performance in sports and as a four-year honor roll academic, Thomas took his talents to the University of Wisconsin where he played from 2003-2006. Again, during his four-season tenure at Wisconsin, Thomas played multiple positions including blocking tight end, left tackle, and defensive end. By the time he got to his senior year, he was named one of the offensive team captain.
In the 2007 NFL Draft, Joe Thomas was selected 3rd overall by the Cleveland Browns where he played his entire eleven-season career. The first ten seasons of his career, Thomas was invited to the Pro Bowl every year. He also didn't miss a single down within that time frame as well making his 10,363 consecutive snaps played the longest streak in NFL history since the league started recording snaps in 1999. With durability like that the Browns offered Thomas a seven-year extension worth $80.5 million in 2011. In 2017, he signed an additional contract worth $26.5 million for two years of service. However, a torn tricep ended his career that same year leaving him with $122.9 million in earnings total. We're sure he's ok. Matter of fact, Google him right now. You might not recognize him at all.
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."