Alessandro Volta invented the first chemical battery, known as the Voltaic Pile, in 1800. It consisted of alternating disks of zinc and copper separated by cardboard soaked in saltwater (electrolyte). Before this, electricity could only be generated in brief, uncontrollable static bursts. Volta’s invention provided the world’s first continuous, reliable flow of electricity—an electric current. This breakthrough was the foundation for the entire field of electrochemistry and enabled subsequent inventors to develop the telegraph, electric motors, and the process of electroplating. It proved that electricity could be generated chemically, debunking the then-popular theory of 'animal electricity.' The 'Volt,' the standard unit of electric potential, is named in his honor. Without the voltaic pile, the modern world's reliance on portable and stored energy would never have materialized.