Italian chemist Alessandro Volta is credited with the creation of the first modern electrochemical battery, the voltaic pile, in 1800. A simple electric cell made of a zinc and copper disc with a thin layer of electrolyte in between, was the basic unit of the voltaic pile. Several of these pairs would be stacked on top of each other, increasing the voltage of the entire battery. By connecting the contacts at the top and bottom with a wire, an electric current would be observed to flow.