Thomas Edison

As a young boy, Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was "too stupid to learn anything." He did not have much more success in the workplace, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive. Even as an inventor, reports claim that Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Happily for night owls across the globe, attempt 1,001 worked out differently.

Credit: AP Photo, file