I like Benjamin Franklin a lot. His experiment with a kite and electricity inspired me, when I was 16 to get a kite flying during an electrical storm and drive a lightning into a specific spot on the ground where I previously stocked some charcoal. The idea was to transform that form of carbon to diamonds under the great pressure and temperature attain with the lightning. It fails, but it was a great adventure and a lot of fun.
“Many Canadians (and Americans) find themselves shocked when confronted with the fact that Canada’s first postal service and first newspaper were both created by… Benjamin Franklin!”
http://canadianpatriot.org/why-canada-failed-the-ben-franklin-challenge-in-1776/