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In the year of 1745 Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Gerolamo Umberto Volta
was born in Como, Itally -
Volta did not talk until he was four years old. In 1769, he began to study electricity and published two books of his ideas.
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In 1774, Volta appointed director of the royal school in Como. The following year he became Professor of physics.
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In 1776, while visiting local swamps, Volta observed a mystery gas known then as swamp gas, which was used to light gas lanterns. Volta was the first person to isolate methane from swamp gas.
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Volta was appointed professor of physics at the University of Pavia, a position he held for more than 40 years.
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Volta thought that the University of Pavia had their own electricity and called it animal electricity.
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Constructed of alternating discs of zinc and copper, with pieces of cardboard soaked in brine between the metals, the voltaic pile produced electrical current. The metallic conducting arc was used to carry the electricity over a greater distance. Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile was the first battery that produced a reliable, steady current of electricity.
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Volta retired to his family home in Como for a well deserved rest.
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Volta died this year. The term “volt " is based on his name.