If there is one personality characteristic that stands out when it comes to Matt Ryan it's definitely his tenacity. No matter what his team is going through or what he may be handing on a personal level, he keeps his head held high and speaks well of everyone around him. His durability and consistency have led to a spot on our top fifty quarterbacks of all-time list. The 6'4 quarterback from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania played his collegiate ball at Boston College from 2004 to 2007 after being redshirted in 2003. In his final season with the Eagles, Ryan was presented with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Manning Award, and was named ACC Player of the Year.
After outperforming many of his peers at the college level, Matt Ryan was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2008 NFL Draft where he has played his entire twelve-seasons NFL career. After being named starting quarterback prior to ever throwing a pass as a pro-quarterback he was named the starter for the Falcons and did not disappoint. Ryan was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the team to the playoffs that same year. Since then, Ryan has led the Falcons to the playoffs an additional five times including a trip to the Super Bowl (LI) during the 2016 season. In 2016, Matt Ryan was named the NFL MVP, the Offensive Player of the Year, and led the league in passer rating (117.1).
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."