Life

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was among the greatest scientists of the modern scientific era. Born in Como, Lombardy, on February 18, 1745, to Filippo and Margherita dé Conti Inzaghi, his parents, however, could not afford to provide him education. His relatives took interest in his education and supported him. Volta though born in a noble family, with time, moved down the ladder in social status.

Volta, as a child was different from other children of his age. Even his brothers and sisters differed from him. He never entered the church, while his brothers and sisters did so fastidiously. However, he was not a born genius. His late development in picking up speech – at the age of four convinced his parents that he was retarded.

When Volta was seven years old, his father died. By that time Volta had begun surpassing other children with his intelligence. Volta’s uncle was entrusted with the responsibility of his education after his father’s death. Till the age of 13, Volta studied at the Jesuit school. When he turned 16, he got transferred to the Benzi seminary in Como. Despite constant efforts by his teacher, Father Gerolamo Bonesi, Volta resisted all efforts to make him into a priest. His uncle too tried in vain, to persuade him to study law. Volta, after finishing grammar school dropped formal studies and started working on the electrical phenomena and by 18, made up his mind to become a physicist. He studied books by Musschenbroek, Nollet and Beccaria, the three leading scientists of that time in the field of electricity. When Volta was 19, his interest in science was disclosed. It was through correspondence with Abbé Nollet that he expressed his interest in the field.

This invention (the Electrophorus) served as a milestone for Volta, and his fame spread far and wide. With his works still continuing, by 1778, Volta became the first person to isolate the compound methane, a major constituent of natural gas. Nothing seemed to go wrong for Volta as 1779 saw him accepting a proposal as professor at the University of Pavia. Continuing his research in that field, he invented many gadgets based on the principles of static electricity and later won the Copley Medal of the Royal Society, to which he was elected in 1791. He not only discovered static electricity but dynamic electricity too. It was an inspiration from the results of the experiments conducted by Galvani, a friend of Volta. Galvani sent copies of his papers on the subject to Volta. In one of the experiments of Galvani, Volta posed the question, "If a muscle came in contact with two different metals, would electricity arise from the tissue or from the metals?" Conducting experiments, he realized that the electric current had nothing to do with life or tissue.

Life hardly changed for Volta apart from his involvement in experiments. Volta got married to Maria Teresa Peregrini in 1794. Volta had three children out of this marriage. He lost his son Flamino at the age of 18, which was truly a shocking event for him and his family.

Electric Battery

In 1800, he invented the first electric battery. It was after this invention that in 1801, he was conferred with the title of Count by Napoleon Bonaparte. After that, Volta came to be known as Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta.

Volta on November 7, 1801, after being conferred the title, wrote to his wife "Among the many things which indeed give me great pleasure, I do not delight in believing that I am more than what I am : and to a life upset by vainglory, I prefer the peace and sweetness of domestic life."

In 1819, He retired to the family estate in Camnago near Como, until his death on March 5, 1827 following a brief illness at the age of 82.