Flatout, because of Ace Frehley of Kiss....I was a huge Kiss fan (pre-Dynasty era stuff) and Ace is THE main reason why I got my first guitar. I didn't actually even begin to learn anything about the guitar until many years later...it was all air-guitaring to Kiss records at that time...But Ace was it for me at that point in time.
(Oddly enough....I haven't been even a moderate Kiss fan for more than 20yrs now....LOL)

As to a specific event that got me actually playing & learning the guitar....My one buddy that I grew up with was the bass player in a band & they needed a 2nd guitar player, because their singer couldn't play & sing at the same time. So....I broke out my old Sears guitar and tried to learn some fancy leadwork (LOL). I was able to play a couple bars of the tapping section in Eruption, so I was IN! :D
I could barely string together more than a couple basic open and/or barre chords, but I could whip out that sweet little tapping bit & so we started playing parties and carnivals, etc. LOL
(Again...oddly enough....Even though it was one of the first things that I learned to do...I've never really been all that much of a tapper over the years. Yngwie & Vinnie Moore came along & I forgot about nearly everything legato related for a loooonng time. LOL)

Don