The internet has a patron saint of the lone inventor. It is Nikola Tesla. Memes show him as the unrecognized genius, robbed of credit by Thomas Edison.
Tesla was a real and prolific inventor. The myth around him grew after his death. The Atlantic noted that the mythology has reached exaggerated levels, casting him against Edison in a battle that involved many other people.
The Oatmeal webcomic drove the revival. Fans raised more than a million dollars for a Tesla museum.