Get a Charge out of International Battery Day 2023!

Did you know? In 2023, the humble battery celebrates 222 year of 'life'! Italian physicist Alessandro Volta introduced the first battery in 1801, and his grand achievement is celebrated on his birth date, 18 February, every year.

Consider how many of your household items use batteries - smartphones, laptops, toys, cameras, small electronic devices, hearing aids, electric toothbrushes, smoke detectors, flashlights, and home security systems!

Volta's battery was simple in design. First attempts consisted of rudimentary objects such as thin strips of copper, cardboard and zinc, separated by damp leather. A little-known fact: he used his own tongue as a conducting element! All in the name of science.

The battery is now highly developed. In 1979, researchers John B. Goodenough and Koichi Mizushima developed a rechargeable lithium cell with about 4 volts - the breakthrough of a commercially viable lithium-ion battery.