Italian physicist Alessandro Volta was born on February 18, 1745. His interest in science began at young ages and he has made many discoveries throughout his career. However, his greatest contribution to our society was the invention of the first chemical-battery electric cell, i.e. the “Volta battery” in 1800.
Today, electricity seeps into every corner of our life and almost keeps the pulse of our modern life. Thanks to this man, our houses are now comfortable shelters, our computers are endless sources of
information, and our phones are the means to stay connected with the world. However, this impressive journey of electricity is the fruit of many other scientists as well. Alessandro Volta, one of these revolutionary figures, offered us one of the keys that opened the doors of our electrically powered world. Without Volta’s contributions our technological advances might not have been so rapid and impressive. Thanks to him, we have gained access to the unlimited potential of electricity, which illuminates not only our physical world but also our imaginary world. Italian physicist Alessandro Volta was born on February 18, 1745. His interest in science began at young ages and he has made many discoveries throughout his career. However, his greatest contribution to our society was the invention of the first chemicalbattery electric cell, i.e. the “Volta battery” in 1800. This invention opened a door for experimental studies as well as practical applications of electricity. Volta’s invention was actually the fruit of a competition. At that time, Luigi Galvani’s works on “animal electricity” was being followed with great interest in scientific circles. Galvani had observed that an electrical reaction occurs when a frog comes into contact with metal using its legs. Volta, on the other hand, believed that this phenomenon was not caused by animal tissues, but by the metal itself. To support his theory, he invented the first battery that generates an electric current by combining different metals together. This battery consisted of a series of metal discs (copper and zinc), which are known today as the ‘Voltaic Pile’. This simple structure, consisting of papers soaked in salty water and different metals, was the ancestor of modern electricity.
Alessandro Volta was not only a scientist,
but also an artist, and electricity was his magical palette.
This innovative invention of Volta has been very popular among the scientific world at the beginning of the 19th century. An “unknown face” of electricity had appeared thanks to this Italian genius. His discovery allowed many experimental studies on electromagnetism to be carried out. It also paved the way for the idea of converting electrical energy into chemical energy, which has become the basis
of modern batteries and energy storage technologies. However, Volta’s contributions were not limited to this invention alone. The ‘volt’ unit, which we use to measure the electric potential today, is named after him. He also made the first ”capacitance” measurement and studied the conductivity properties of gases. Scientists who followed his path laid the foundations of modern electricity using Volta’s basic studies. His legacy to science world is available in every electrical device we see today. We can find traces of Volta in every light bulb, every charge, and every electric spark. This great scientist passed away in 1827, but his legacy continues to live on not only in physics books, but also in every second of our daily lives. Alessandro Volta was not only a scientist, but also an artist, and electricity was his magical palette. His story is not only the story of an invention, but also of the determination to push the limits of the human spirit and this story continues in each of us, every day, every moment.
