Energy Atlas

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Milestones

Volta Invents the Battery

Also Known As Voltaic Pile
1800

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The stack of alternating discs of two dissimilar metals, separated by pasteboard or cloth dampened with brine, with which Alessandro Volta gave the world its first steady supply of electricity. Announced in a letter of 20 March 1800 to the president of the Royal Society of London, the voltaic pile was the first device to deliver continuous current rather than static discharge, the ancestor of every battery, and the opening of the age in which electricity could be made on demand.

Facts
Milestone Year
1800 1
Milestone Date
1800-03-20 2
Location
Pavia, Lombardy, Italy 2
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Credited To

Sources
1. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Site
National High Magnetic Field LaboratoryMuseum of Electricity and Magnetism, Voltaic Pile 1800
Quote, Museum of Electricity and Magnetism, Voltaic Pile 1800
The voltaic pile, invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800, was the first device to provide a steady supply of electricity.
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2. Encyclopedia.com
Encyclopedia.comAlessandro Volta, Discovery of Current Electricity
Quote, Alessandro Volta, Discovery of Current Electricity
Volta announced his discovery in a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, then president of the Royal Society of London. The letter, dated March 20, 1800, created an instant sensation.
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2. Encyclopedia.com
Encyclopedia.comAlessandro Volta, Early Investigations and Inventions
Quote, Alessandro Volta, Early Investigations and Inventions
In 1779 Volta was appointed to the newly created chair of physics at the University of Pavia.
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2. Encyclopedia.com
Encyclopedia.comCredited To: Alessandro Volta, Alessandro Volta, opening section
Quote, Credited To: Alessandro Volta, Alessandro Volta, opening section
The Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) invented the electric battery
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