Classic essays on electrical and general engineering
I think it's an excellent question but I'm trying to think of something undeniably "classic" that wouldn't be too intimidating in a technical sense (e.g. Faraday's equations, Shockleys transistor patent, etc)   

As far as readable/inspiring goes, I think many of the articles written by people like Jim Williams, Bob Pease might be worth looking at. "Analog Circuit Design: Art, Science and Personalities" is a non-too-technical collection of stories written by many top electrical engineers (including the above mentioned Jim Williams)

Also, a story based around a major engineering achievement may be worth looking at, for instance the Apollo missions and moon landing - "Apollo: The race to the moon" apparently focuses on the team/engineering perspective.