Alessandro Volta

Volta, Alessandro (1745–1827), Italian physicist. The volt was named for him. He invented (1800) the voltaic pile (the first battery) and thus provided science with its earliest source of continuous electric current. Volta's invention demonstrated that “animal electricity” could be produced using solely inanimate materials, thus ending a long dispute with the supporters of Luigi Galvani's view that it was a special property of animal matter.

See also: Electric current.