I've recently enjoyed a biography of Kristian Birkeland (http://www.amazon.com/The-Northern-Lights-Unlocked-Borealis/dp/0375409807/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=135877

I've recently enjoyed a biography of Kristian Birkeland (http://www.amazon.com/The-Northern-Lights-Unlocked-Borealis/dp/0375409807/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358774882&sr=8-2&keywords=Kristian+Birkeland http://www.amazon.com/The-Northern-Lights-Unlocked-Borealis/...). Birkeland worked to find the source of the northern lights, but he sold other inventions in order to fund his research.