ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta was a very smart man who lived a long time ago. He was born in Italy in 1745, which was before your parents or grandparents were even born!

Alessandro was very interested in electricity. He wanted to learn everything he could about it, so he built a special machine called a friction generator. This machine could produce static electricity by rubbing two different materials together.

Alessandro was also curious about how different metals react to each other when they're touching each other. He did a lot of experiments to find out what happens. One thing he discovered was that when you put two different metals in acid, they create a voltage. This voltage is what we call electricity!

Alessandro Volta then decided to build something very cool - a machine called a battery! It was made by putting alternating layers of copper and zinc in a glass jar filled with an acid solution. The battery could produce a steady stream of electricity that could be used to power things like lights or machines.

People were very amazed by Alessandro's battery, and it was very popular! It changed the way people think about and use electricity. Today, we still use his ideas and inventions in many ways, from powering our homes to running our devices. Alessandro Volta was a brilliant man, and we owe a lot to his curiosity and hard work!