Phaëton

Phaëton, or Phaëthon, in Greek mythology, mortal son of the sun god Helios and the sea goddess Clymene. Helios granted him his wish to drive the chariot of the sun, but he was unable to control it. He first flew it too high, freezing the earth and creating the scar in the sky known as the Milky Way, and then too low, burning and nearly destroying the earth. Zeus was forced to kill him with a thunderbolt to protect the earth.

See also: Mythology.