Though they had been experimenting with electricity for many years, it was not until the beginning of the nineteenth century that scientists began to comprehend how it worked. This increased awareness was probably a result of the invention of the first battery--Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile--in 1800. By using batteries, scientists had a reliable supply of electricity to work with. They began to test the effect of electricity upon chemicals, metals, and other substances in an effort to better understand its nature and, eventually, harness its power. As worldwide trade increased so did the need for instant long-distance communication, and it was the science of electronics that addressed this need. By 1870 Alexander Graham Bell was experimenting with a means for sending a voice signal over a wire. While this was a viable idea, the signal was generally too weak to travel over long distances; a similar problem existed with Guglielmo...