Anatomist whose frog-leg experiments prompted the debate that led to the pile
Plate 057
1800
Pavia and Como, Italy
No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
Alessandro Volta announced the voltaic pile in a letter to the Royal Society dated 20 March 1800.
About credit
Volta developed the pile in response to Galvani’s “animal electricity” claim, arguing that the electricity came from the metals.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before the Battery
Electricity meant sparks from friction machines or the quick discharge of a Leyden jar.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
Volta stacked pairs of dissimilar metals with moist cardboard between them. Connecting both ends gave a continuing current. Within weeks, others used the pile to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
The Battery, explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
A chemical reaction
Two different metals in a conducting liquid react and push electrons through a wire.
A chemical reaction
Stack them up
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Chemistry
Humphry Davy used batteries to isolate new elements such as sodium and potassium.
Communication
Batteries powered early telegraphs.
A continuous current opened electrochemistry and electromagnetism, and led to the electric telegraph, motors and generators.
V
Before and after
Life before and after The Battery
Before
A brief spark.
After
A current that could run for hours.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.
VI
Its legacy
What came after
MHI 057
The Battery
Beyond the collection
The Telegraph
Early telegraphs ran on batteries.
Beyond the collection
Lithium-ion batteries
Modern cells still convert chemical energy to electricity.
VII
Human stories
The people and the moments
Napoleon’s medal
Volta demonstrated the pile to Napoleon in Paris in 1801 and was honoured with a gold medal and a pension.
Where accounts differ, this museum follows the documented record and says so.