My inventions: Autobiography of Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla may not be as famous as his contemporary Thomas Edison but his inventions (like the AC motor and his experiments in telephony) have had larger impact than Edison's.

If you keep the descriptions of his inventions aside, Tesla was an interesting character. He was a polyglot, believed in quite a few pseudo-scientific beliefs like chastity kept his scientific acumen sharp, claiming that 2-3 hours of sleep was sufficient etc, authored multiple books and articles, cultivated hobbies and was good friends with famous personalities like Mark Twain.