Alessandro Volta

He was born in 1745 and he died in 1827.

He was an Italian physicist, known for his work on electricity. He was born in Como and was educated there in a public school. In 1774 he was professor of physics at the Royal School of Como, and the following year invented an instrument that produced electrical charges. During 1776 and 1777 he was devoted to chemistry, atmospheric electricity and other experiments such as the ignition of gases by an electric spark in a closed container.

In 1779 he was professor of physics at the University of Pavia, a chair he occupied for 25 years. By 1800 he had developed the so-called voltaic pile, the forerunner of the electric battery, which produced a steady flow of electricity. For his work in the field of electricity, Napoleon made him a count in 1801. The electrical unit known as the volt was named in his honor