Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836). Prodigial French physicist, mathematician and chemist who founded the science of electrodynamics with his pioneering book 'Mathematical Theory of Electrodynamic Phenomenon Deduced Solely from Experiments'. The workhorse of modern civilization - electric current - is measured in a unit named after him. And so is the device used to measure it.
As is customary of such people, he was humble and absent-minded; once he forgot an invitation to dine with Emperor Napoleon (although I'm not sure if that comes just under absent minded). In his experimental works he wasn't methodical, rather it obtained sparkles of great brilliance.
His gravestone bears the epitaph (latin):
TANDEM FELIX
(happy at last)
Source:
My brother's NCERT Textbook for Physics, Class XII.
After school I'd sworn never to touch that wretched thing again. but then, you never know what hunger and boredom can drive a man to do...