Howard Carter

Howard Carter discovered and excavated the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamen. Carter got his start as an artist, tracing Egyptian hieroglyphics for others, before becoming an archaeologist himself. His search for the tomb of King Tut took nearly a decade, including a lengthy interruption during World War I, and was supported financially by George Herbert, the earl of Carnarvon. Carter discovered the tomb of Tut on 4 November 1922 and opened the tomb after Lord Carnarvon's arrival at the site on the 26th of November. Ironically, Tutankhamen had been practically unknown before the discovery, but news coverage of Carter's amazing find made "King Tut" a household name.

Extra credit: Lord Carnarvon died of pneumonia in 1923, reinforcing the legend of a curse placed on those who had disturbed Tut's tomb. However, Carter himself lived to the age of 64 before dying a natural death in England.