Nikola Tesla
One of the greatest minds of the 20th century, and perhaps one of the least understood. Tesla invented the Alternating Current system that is the basis for modern electrical power systems. (Edison, in contrast, lobbied heavily for the use of Direct Current, which was not practical for delivering electricity over distance.)
Tesla was also, it appears, the true inventor of wireless communications. It is only through quirks of politically-motivated patent decisions that Marconi got the credit.
Tesla claimed to be able to do things with electricity back in the 1920s and 1930s that still cannot be duplicated. How much of these claims was the truth and how much the result of Tesla's considerable ego is still debated.
Late in his career, he claimed to have invented "death rays" which could kill at great distance. This weapon was never demonstrated publicly, to anyone's knowledge. It is unclear how much these claims may have been influenced by what Tesla learned from his involvement in the events of Cosa Nosferatu, but certainly the actions of the Tillinghast Resonator that Tesla consulted on could have the effect of causing death by remote control.
For more on the amazing Nikola Tesla, take a look here.
