The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-05
TODAY IN HISTORY
Birthday Of the Electric eatterv
TUESDAY, APRIL S, 1910.

Il
| Alcssandro Volta. the inventor M t,a
S,eculc battery. on April q. 1900 died on
Mhrcn ., lS2t. As carly as 100 Johann
Sulzer announced TO the Berlin Acadn,,v
oi Science the discovery that a pecmIiar
nlt'er thsie Is perceived when two mctuls
arc plhccd on the tongue and touched
@hy,.r,.,, @L ruG,t edge. The significance Of this
observation was not appreciated til Vol
IN had described his Grown OF Guns.
IN $500 While pursuing his experiments
10 explain GaIvanTs discovery or vbat
| Is known as the Galvanic Battery Volta
oi the University OF Pavia. was led 10
ne co. Invention OF the Voltaic Pile
to nc eightcenth century was drawing
=" close and the scientific world was
engaged in a fierce conflict over n frog
reg, me me chief combatants In this strife
T,,re %ere volta and Galvanl. The latter had
lWitchlns of a frogs leg which he had
hIung 10y copper hook to an iron rail
experIments led TO the slaughter OF
countless thousands of frogs, which would
have aroused the united opposition OF the
any VIZ N,lVlsGctlonists In these days.
imai electricity was nothing but the cleo
| Lriclty developed by the conflict OF two
dlmfrGnl Ibat ,,r,Is s,,,a metals. Gavani answered
duced with only one metal Volta re-
Piled that the metals employed were not
pure and that they therefore acted like
sides with Galyanl who succeeded I'm
producing muscular coutractions without
INC intervention OF amy metal whatever
put merely applying the nerve OF leg
on the muscles or establishing a corn.
Inunicntion between the muscles and the
nerves by a piece Of moist animal tissue.
GalNani died on December T. l79S. while
the controversy WAS still raging. a little
moro than year afterwards Volta had
discovered the Noltaic Pile The inven-
ton OF this instrument seemed TO sIlenca
forever the claims Of Galvani's Darisans.
IL consisted or a series Of Calvanic cir
eieS; each composed Of disc of zinc and
a9olher Of copper separated, by a disc
water or some other fluid. BY connecting
number Of pairs of these circles elcc-
ricitN was developed to an indefinite
extent.
Volta exclaimed with triumphant scorn;
i don't need Your frog. Give me two
metals and moist rag and l viii pro-
ducc your animal electricity. Your frog
IS nothing but a moist conductor, and i'm
this respect is inferior to my wet rag"
TWentY-scyen years thereafter, Vol
In died. on April D. 1927, fun OF honors
and as firmly convinced as ever that he
had destroyed the illusion Of animal cleo
lrlcity. Yet, but a few years after Vol
ta's death. GaIvanI was indicated Sub
soquent researches have proved that 4
production OF electricity is constantly
going on in all the animal economy.
Volta belonged To noble family and
had been cngrosscd in the study OF cleo
trical phenomena since his early youth.
Before he was 50 years old lie had been
made professor Of physics in his native
city, whore he constructed some remark
able electrical contTlvanccs. lie trav-
clcd extensively I'm Germany. Holland.
England and France. In 1896 he was one
OF the deputies selected by the citizens
Of Pavia where he was a professor, to
solicit the protection Of Bonapartc. who
subsequently created him count In the
kingdom of Italy.
Today is the birthday Of many cele-
brities: Thomas Hobbies. the author
G5SS): Elihu Yale. the philanthropist.
for whom Yale college was named Gbi9);
William Congrcvc. the dramatist G6S5):
Catherine ]. OF Russia C6S9D, Philemon
DiclIerson. the revolutionary soldier
uI39: Theodore r. Timby. tho original
tors GS22); and John r. Raymond the
canadian lS2Gl Robert Raikes who WAS