Phaëthon

Phaëthon (Ancient Greek: Φαέθων, "shining one"), was the son of sun god Helios and the sea nymph Clymene. Wanting proof of his pedigree, he asked his father to be allowed to drive the sun chariot for a day. Placed in charge of the chariot, he was unable to control the horses. The Earth was in danger of being incinerated, forcing Zeus to destroy the chariot with a thunderbolt.

Literary comment
There are many different spellings of this character's name. This article uses the version which Harry Turtledove uses in the story in which the character appears.

Phaëthon in "Miss Manners' Guide to Greek Missology"
Phaëthon drove the chariot which took Perseus and Andromeda from the wedding feast to the honeymoon suite. The bride was unnerved by the driver's recklessness, but the groom assured her that he hadn't burned rubber, or anything else, for quite a while.