Alessandro Giuseppi Volta became one of the foremost celebrities of his day for his work with electrical currents. Volta was born on February 18, 1745, in Como, Lombardy, Italy. Most of his eight brothers and sisters entered the church, but Alessandro became engrossed in the study of with electricity. Influenced by a history on the subject written by Joseph Priestley, fourteen-year-old Volta announced his intention of becoming a physicist, and became educated on the subject.

In 1774 Volta was appointed professor of physics at the high school in Como. There he created one of his most significant inventions; the electrophorous. This device had the ability to store significant electrical charges, and replaced the Leyden jar which, up until that time, had been used for storing smaller charges.

The discovery that led Volta to the invention of the electrophorous actually began with the work of French physicist Charles-Augustine Coulomb. Coulomb had discovered...