In 1800, Alessandro Volta of Italy announced his invention of a device that produced a small but steady electrical current. His "voltaic pile" operated by placing pieces of cloth soaked in salt water between pairs of zinc and copper discs, as seen in this 1805 pile from Canisius College. Contact between the two metals creates a difference in potential (or pressure, or "voltage"), which in a closed circuit produces electric current. Voltaic piles mark the origin of modern batteries.
Before Volta's invention, electrical researchers like Benjamin Franklin worked with static charges. They learned much, but were limited by the fact that the electrical discharge was at very high potential and very low current; it also could be produced only in very short spurts. A source of flowing current allowed wider-ranging experiments that resulted in greater understanding of the links between electricity and other natural phenomena, including magnetism and light and heat. Batteries attracted the attention of many scientists and inventors, and by the 1840s were providing current for new electrical devices like Joseph Henry's electromagnets and Samuel Morse's telegraph.
Cruickshank trough battery. See William Cruickshank's article, "Additional Remarks on Galvanic Electricity", J. Nat. Philos. Chem. Arts (also called Nicholson's Journal) 4, (1801): 254-264. Sixty pairs of zinc and copper plates produce about 0.8 volt each for 48 volts total output. Cruickshank made 2 such "machines". This unit was found among Joseph Priestley's experimental devices and presumably is a copy made for his use.
This object was restored in 1957. Treatment included: removal of beeswax from interior surfaces, repair of case ends with glued inserts, fabrication of a new base, cleaning of exterior surface, fabrication of 58 pairs and 2 single interior plates. Apparently the only original parts are the ends and sides as seen in pre-restoration images 44916 and 44916B. An image of the Priestley material as received in 1883 (SI neg# 45003B) clearly shows a trough battery with plates installed, but there is no indication in the file about what may have become of those plates.
Voltaic Pile, wooden base and cap with three glass uprights containing alternating discs of zinc and silver. Felt pads are interleaved between the discs.
People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and magnetism. Natural philosophers, scientists, and instrument makers created many ingenious devices to generate electrostatic charges starting in the 1600s. These machines varied in size and technique but all involved rotary motion to generate a charge, and a means of transferring the charge to a storage device for use.
In the latter 1700s electrical researchers adopted improved electrostatic machines that replaced earlier glass cylinders with a flat glass plate. This increased the machines’ efficiency by passing the glass plate between leather rubbing pads that increased the contact area. Experience with plate machines brought many design variations with sizes ranging from small table-top units for laboratory use to large cabinets that powered early x-ray machines.
This portable plate machine comes from the shop of William and Samuel Jones, instrument makers in London. William Jones (1763-1831) founded the company in 1787 to make various scientific devices. His younger brother Samuel (d.1859) joined the firm four years later. The "K2A3" marking on the machine’s base was the Columbia University property number.
The single plate rubs against two pairs of leather pads set at top and bottom of the frame. The points on the brass arm gather the charge from the plate and transfer that charge to the brass ball that is mounted on top of a Leyden jar. A quadrant electrometer mounted on top indicates the amount of charge on the jar. A pith ball on a string hangs on the electrometer in front of a scale. Electrical charges of the same polarity repel and since the electrometer is charged along with the jar, the ball moves away from the jar. The higher the charge the further the ball moves up the scale. Leyden jars were discovered in 1742; a key step in modern electrical science. Then called condensers and now known as capacitors, these jars can store a charge but unlike batteries do not generate a current.
People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and magnetism. Natural philosophers, scientists, and instrument makers created many ingenious devices to generate electrostatic charges starting in the 1600s. These machines varied in size and technique but all involved rotary motion to generate a charge, and a means of transferring the charge to a storage device for use.
This large electrostatic cylinder machine from the estate of Joseph Priestley was made around 1800 by Edward Nairne of Britain. Restored for exhibition in 1959, the machine and collector stand comprise most of the parts identified as belonging to the machine. Four additional collectors and parts of another stand are also associated with this object. During the 1750s electrical researchers refined the design of electrostatic machines by replacing earlier spherical globes with a glass cylinder, a design used for many years. This change increased the surface area of the glass in contact with the rubbing pad and improved the efficiency of the generator.
Natural philosopher and free-thinker Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), emigrated from Britain to the United States in 1794. Among other accomplishments, Priestley is remembered for chemical and electrical research. Years after his death, his daughter sent an assortment of material to the Smithsonian, most of which was in poor condition. Curators at the time were uncertain how important the equipment may have been to Priestley’s research but preserved many of the items as examples of the type of equipment available in that era.
A very early voltaic pile, the first type of chemical battery. Alternating discs of zinc and copper (each about 2-13/16" diameter) are separated by (now degraded) pads that would have been damped with salt-water during use. About fifty pairs of discs are stacked vertically in a mahogany frame supported by 4 turned posts, there are 5 turned balls on top, four to secure the posts, and one in the center to adjust tension on the stack of discs. The discs are kept in position by 3 vertical glass rods 1/2" diameter by 30" long.
Developed by Alessandro Volta of Italy in the late 1890s and introduced in 1800, voltaic piles generated a steady source of electrical current. This allowed researchers to conduct experiments not possible with previous static electric generating equipment, and led within a few years to the discovery of electromagnetic effects that revolutionized electrical science. Further development of Volta’s initial concept resulted in batteries that powered early telegraph systems, electroplating devices, and experimental electric lights. This particular unit dates from around 1808, less than a decade after Volta announced his discovery.
Dickinson College provided a list of scientific apparatus in their possession, dated 21 May 1814, that includes two voltaic piles. Staff of the US National Museum borrowed one of the two piles in 1956 or 1957, constructed a replica, then returned the original to the college. In 1958, the college reported that their records indicated that the pile “was given to the College by Benjamin Rush [1746-1813], ... about 1808.”
In late 1965, Museum of History and Technology staff requested the loan of one original pile for exhibition. Dickinson College sent this pile in January 1966. We do not know if it is the one previously borrowed, since the original piles are identical. After the exhibition, staff placed the pile in storage. It has been displayed several times over the decades. In 2023, Dickinson College converted the loan to a gift.
