Alessandro Volta

Guess who invented the first real battery? Alessandro Volta — and his idea still powers our world! Imagine your toys, flashlights, and tablets without batteries; Volta's invention changed all that.

Alessandro Volta was an Italian scientist born in 1745 in Como. He lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s and taught at the University of Pavia. His most important achievement is the voltaic pile, invented around 1800.

The voltaic pile was a simple stack of zinc and copper discs separated by saltwater-soaked paper. When the metals touched through the wet paper, electricity flowed steadily — for the first time anyone could control it. It looked a bit like a stack of coins — but it was full of energy!

Because of Volta's work, we now measure electric potential in volts, named in his honor. Batteries today — from small button cells to big rechargeables — are descendants of his idea. He also made earlier tools like the electrophorus to study static electricity, and explored marsh gas (what we call methane).

Volta showed that careful experiments and simple ideas can change the world. Next time you use a battery, remember Alessandro Volta — a scientist who turned curiosity into power!