Sci-Fi History: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (1897)

A scientist named Griffin discovers a way to reflect light making himself invisible. He successfully tests his theory on himself. Unfortunately, he cannot reverse the process and remains invisible. His circumstance eventually leads to mental instability. Griffin commits some assaults, is beaten by a mob, and dies. At the end, his corpse becomes visible. The Invisible Man has spawned several films, sequels, and adaptations. Perhaps the most clever use of the character occurred in scotch tape commercials in the 1970s.