1800Reputable sourceWell documented
Volta and the Electric Battery
On the timeline · around 1800 ·
What happened
In 1800 the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta built the first electric battery — the 'voltaic pile,' a stack of alternating copper and zinc discs separated by brine-soaked cloth. For the first time it produced a steady, continuous electric current, rather than the fleeting sparks of static electricity.
Why it matters
Volta's battery gave scientists a reliable source of electric current, unleashing a wave of discovery in electromagnetism and electrochemistry. The unit of electric potential, the volt, is named for him.
Sources
- Engineering and Technology History Wiki (IEEE). Alessandro Volta · Reputable source