Stanley Meyer, Creater of one of the first Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Stanely Meyer claimed to have created a never ending fuel cell, that when filled with water, would last forever. The fuel cell was said to purportedly split water into its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen was then burned to generate energy, a process that reconstituted the water molecules. According to Meyer, the device required less energy to perform electrolysis than the minimum energy requirement predicted or measured by conventional science. If the device worked as specified, it would violate both the first and second laws of thermodynamics.  While his design was found to be a fake, it was the start of the modern hydrogen fuel cell that we are researching today.