Carl Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus had many names: Carolus Linnaeus, Carl Linnaeus, Carl Von Linné and Carl Nilsson Linnaeus.
He was born in Småland, Sweden, in 1707. He was a physicist, botanist and zoologist, but he was best known for creating the foundations for what we use today for binomial nomenclature, being the father of modern taxonomy and of modern ecology. He studied at the Uppsala University and later wrote his book Systema Naturae. He was also a university professor at Uppsala after writing his book. 

Linnaeus' taxonomy was not based on subjectivity, although he always felt wonder for nature and loved it deeply. His taxonomy was based on the number and arrangement of plant reproductive organs.

In one time, he went to a small city in the Netherlands, where the mayor of that city showed him a "hydra" that was really a fake. Linnaeus discovered this and told everyone about it. Then, he fled the city, afraid of the mayor's wrath.
He was considered great at what he did. Look at what these men said about him:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "Tell him I know no greater man on earth."
Goethe: "With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly."
August Strindberg: "Linnaeus was in reality a poet who happened to become a naturalist"

An interesting fact about him is that he came up with the lectotype for Homo sapiens.