Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta was born in 1745 in Como, Italy.

He was interested in the new discoveries being made about electricity. From studying earlier experiments he thought that placing dissimilar metals in contact with each other would create electricity. As an experiment, he stacked a fair number of discs of copper, zinc, and cardboard soaked in salt water.

He touched the ends of the pile, and received a significant shock. This was the world's first battery as we know them today. We honor his name today as it is used for the international unit for electric potential, the volt.

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