In 1971, Esquire magazine ran an article by Rob Rosenbaum about "phone-phreaks" — a network of folks who'd learned how to hack the phone system and make calls anywhere without paying a centavo. I remember reading the piece at the time and finding it amazing…and it captured a lot of imaginations. References to it pop up in so many books and other articles I've read since. This link will allow you to read the original piece.
And this one will take you to a new piece by Mr. Rosenbaum about the article's impact on one of the imaginations it captured: That of Steve Jobs. I'll bet there are a lot more among folks of great accomplishment in the world of electronics and technology.