FEBRUARY 18,1745 - MARCH 5,1827

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta

Personal Life & Family History

Nationality: ItalianBorn in Como, Lombardy, ItalyParents: Filippo and Maddalena Volta Youngest of nine children He was not an infant prodigy at all. He

didn't talk until he was four and his family was convinced he was retarded.

Personal Life & Family History continued…

He finally caught up and began to exceed other children when he reached age 7.

He showed a lot of interest in chemistry, poetry, and drama.

1794 Volta married Teresa Peregrini, daughter of Count Peregrini

The couple had three sons

Education & Positions Held

Educated mostly in public schools: Jesuit school and Benzi seminary in Como

In 1774 he became professor of physics at the Royal School in Como

In 1779 he became professor of physics at the University of Pavia

Greatest Accomplishments/Quote

Greatest Accomplishment: Invented Electric Battery

Quote: “...each metal has a certain power, which is different from metal to metal, of setting the electric fluid in motion...”

Contributions to Science

Invented electric battery1775 Volta devised the electrophorus, a

device that produced a static electric charge.

1777 he studied the chemistry of gases, discovered methane

1800 he developed the so-called voltaic pile, a forerunner of the electric battery

Contributions

Invented the electric battery and the voltaic pile

Discovered Methane

Awards & Honors Received

1881 an important electrical unit, the volt, was named in his honor.

 In 1801, honors were showered on Volta by the academies and learned societies of Europe.

Napoleon invited him to Paris and made him an associate member of the Institute de France and later a senator of the Kingdom of Italy.

Honors continued….

1810 In honor of his work in the field of electricity, Napoleon made him a count

1815 the Emperor of Austria named him a professor of philosophy at Padova.

In 1815 the Emperor of Austria appointed him director of the philosophical faculty of the University of Padua.

References

References:www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/volta.htmhttp://corrosiondoctors.org/Biographies/

VoltaBio.htmhttp://www.italian-american.com/volta.htm

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