Batteries convert chemical energy to electrical energy which in turn is used to provide power to various devices. Everybody knows the varied use of batteries these days as they are found in several devices used on a daily basis like cell phones, cars and even laptops. In spite of the great benefits a battery offers, few know about who invented the battery. It was a milestone invention in that particular era, and has proved to be highly instrumental in the modern batteries we encounter these days. A short profile on the genius who invented the battery is given below.
Who Invented the Battery and Why was it Important
Alessandro Volta, an Italian physicist, is the person who invented the battery in 1800. Volta has also made important discoveries in pneumatics, meteorology and electrostatics, but his greatest invention for all humankind was the first every battery.
29 years after being born in Como, Italy, Alessandro Volta got the opportunity to serve as a physics professor at the Royal School in his hometown. In 1774, it was at this place where Volta contrived his foremost invention – electrophorus – a device which generated static electricity. Through the process of igniting static sparks, Alessandro Volta studied as well as experimented with atmospheric electricity. After 5 years at the Royal School, Alessandro Volta was called to be a professor at the University of Pavia in 1779. It was at this place where he invented the voltaic pile, the first practical method of generating electricity.
Alessandro Volta constructed the volatile pile by placing copper and zinc discs alternately, one above the other, with cardboard pieces dipped in brine placed in between. This volatile pile generated electric current. To carry the electricity over a long distance, a metallic arc was used. This was the first ever battery to produce a consistent and reliable current of electricity.
Luigi Galvani, a contemporary of Alessandro Volta, had earlier come with the theory of galvanic responses which stated that animal tissues had some form of electricity present in them. As a protest against this theory, Alessandro Volta invented the volatile pile to establish the fact that electricity is produced when different metals like brass and iron come in contact with each other in a moist atmosphere, and not through animal tissues. However, both these great men were right in their own way.
To commensurate the work of this genius in minds of people forever, the unit of electromotive force that makes current flow through resistance, volt, was named after Alessandro Volta.
Invention of Battery: A Timeline
1748 – The term ‘battery’ came into existence after Benjamin Franklin defined it as an arrangement of charged glass plates.
1780 – 1786 – The theory of electricity present in animal cells was brought out by Luigi Galvani, which provided the foundation for other scientists for further research.
1800 – Alessandro Volta invented the volatile pile, which was the first ever battery which produced consistent electric current.
1836 – The Daniel cell was invented by John Daniel, which consisted of a zinc and copper electrolyte and considered much safer than the battery invented by Volta.
1839 – The first fuel cell was invented by William Grove, which generated electrical current by uniting oxygen and hydrogen.
1839 – 1842 – Numerous scientists and inventors improvised batteries by using liquid electrodes to generate electricity.
1859 – The rechargable lead-acid battery, used these days in cars, was invented by a French inventor with the name of Gaston Plante.
1866 – The carbon-zinc battery was invented and patented by another Frenchman named Georges Leclanche.
1881 – The first battery which had a negative electrode and porous pot kept on a zinc cup was discovered and patented by J.A. Thiebaut.
1881 – The first ever dry cell battery, which was also a commercial success, was invented by Carl Gassener.
1899 – The nickel-cadmium battery, which could also be recharged, was invented by Waldmar Jungner.
1901 – The alkaline storage battery was invented by Thomas Edison.
1949 – The small alkaline battery was invented by Lew Urry.
1954 – The first ever solar battery was invented by Calvin Fuller, Daryl Chapin and Gerald Pearson.
Read more on:
How Batteries Work
Who Discovered Electricity
Few scientists as well as historians believe that the battery was invented about 2,000 years ago in Baghdad, on basis on certain archaeological excavations carried out there in 1936. During their excavations, archaeologists found pots made of terracotta and filled with copper rods and iron sheets. Electricity can be produced by adding lime juice and vinegar to this pot. But as there was no strong and confirmed evidence of these pots being used for electricity, this theory was considered unworthy. Thus, as per historical evidence, Alessandro Volta still remains the person who invented the battery in 1800.
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