This is not uncommon: Brenna will come home with two arms full of books, and I will commandeer some portion of their number and block all access to them. There is a profoundly readable volume by Leslie Alan Horvitz called Eureka! Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed The World, and I do suggest you ask your Public Librarian if they have a copy for you. Many of the inventors profiled therein are intriguing, but I found myself particularly sympathetic toward one Philo Farnsworth, inventor of the electric television. It seems resonant to geekdom at large, and I present his tale here for your enjoyment and edification.
(CW)TB
