Alessandro Volta – Invention of the Battery

In 1800, Alessandro Volta reported his discovery of the electric battery in a letter to Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society of London.

Alessandro Volta was born in Italy. As a child his father died, so relatives sent him to school at a seminary. They wished him to become an ecclesiastical leader. Other family members wanted him to attend law school. He chose neither. He wanted to study physics, so he did.

By the 1770s, Volta taught at Como grammar schools. While there, he met another scientist named Luigi Galvani. Galvani hypothesized that animals conducted electricity based on some experiments he did. Volta disagreed and started his own experiments. Through these experiments, he created the Voltaic Pile, similar to the battery.

Shortly thereafter, Alessandro Volta chose to retire to a county home. He lived there quietly until his death in 1827. People wanted to remember Volta for his important contributions to science. They decided to name the electric measure volt, in honor of Volta.