John Gurdon who just won the Nobel prize in medicine and physiology came bottom of the bottom of the third of 3 classes in shool at Eton in Science and has his school report framed on his wall.
Gurdon's biology teacher had once written his chances off in a school report. The report said: "I believe Gurdon has ideas about becoming a scientist; on his present showing this is quite ridiculous; if he can't learn simple biological facts he would have no chance of doing the work of a specialist, and it would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part and of those who would have to teach him."