History of the battery
The first battery was invented in 1800 by Alessandro Volta. Although it was of great value for experimental purposes, its limitations made it impractical for large current drain. Later batteries, starting with John Frederic Daniell’s wet cell in 1836, provided more reliable currents and were adopted by industry for use in stationary devices, particularly in telegraph networks where, in the days before electrical distribution networks, they were the only practical source of electricity.[1] These so-called wet cells used liquid electrolytes, and were thus prone to leaks and spillage if not handled correctly. Some, like the gravity cell, could only function in a certain orientation. Many used glass jars to hold their components, which made them fragile. These practical flaws made them unsuitable for portable appliances. Near the end of the 19th century, the invention of dry cell batteries, which replaced liquid electrolyte with a paste, made portable electrical devices practical.
