Alfonso Grammolia

Alfonso Mario Luigi Grammolia (11 October 1733 – 10 December 1794) was an Italian physicist, chemist, engineer, inventor and aspiring astronaut. He is most famous for having the Grammolian named after him, which is the International Bureau de Change, Weights et Measures (IBCWM) standard unit for mass.

Death and Legacy
In later life Grammolia became obsessed with space travel and rumours that the Tower of Pisa was intended as a launch pad.

On the 10th December 1794, Grammolia was killed in an explosion when experimenting with mixing rocket fuels. An inquest found that the explosion was likely the result of errors made in converting units using the over-complex and confusing imperial measurement system of the time.

The remains of Grammolia that were recovered were used to form a new standard of mass in his honour.