Existing comment:
Voltaic pile, about 1805
Franklin showed how Leyden jars stored static electric charges generated by friction. In 1799 Alessandro Volta took Franklin's work on charges in a new direction. Volta placed discs of zinc and silver between saltwater-soaked pads and created a battery. A steady, flowing electrical current resulted from the chemical action in the battery. Two hundred years later, smaller and stronger batteries would power smartphones. |