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Alessandro Volta was born in the town of Como in northern Italy.
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Volta did not talk until he was 4 years old.
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In 1759 while at 14 years of age, Volta decided to become a physicist.
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At the age of 24 Alessandro Volta began to study electricity and published two books of his ideas.
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At the age of 29, Volta was appointed director of the royal school of como.
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Volta became professor of physics
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While Volta was visiting local swamps, he observed a mystery gas then known as swamp gas. This gas was used back then to light gas lanterns. He then became the first person to isolate methane from the swamp gas.
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During the next few years, Volta became well known in scientific circles and in 1779 he was appointed professor of physics at the university of Pavia. He held this position for the next 25 years.
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A man named Luigi Galvani had predicted animals had their own electricity by observing that a frogs leg hanging on a brass hook twiched when touched with a scapel. He called this animal electricity.
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Volta told Galvini that his prediction was incorrect and the two argued
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Volta finally realised what had happened when the frogs leg twitched. He thought that the twitching was caused by a connection between the two metals. He demonstated this by using a coin and some foil placed on the tongue.
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Volta soon after invented the first battery in 1800 and demonstrated that he could form an electric current with different metals and wires.
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Volta demonstrated his knowledge of electricity and his battery to the French Academy of Science and was made the Count of Lombardy by Napoleon Bonapatre.
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Volta then retired to his family home in Como.
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Volta dies in his home town of Como.