My favorite science experiment is the 1919 observation of the shift in the position of stars as their light bent around the sun during a solar eclipse (see http://www.wired.com/2009/05/dayintech_0529/ if you want to know more). It is a class case of a deductive experiment, meaning that the outcome of the experiment was predicted from mathematics (or logic!) BEFORE the observation.
In this case, the experiment completely changed our view of the world and we were forced to think of space and time as interchangeable. It also made Albert Einstein a celebrity!
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