Alessandro Volta Google Doodle Commemorates His 270th Birth Anniversary

Alessandro Volta (1745 - 1827), an Italian physicist, is known for the invention of the battery in the 1800s. The technology we use in modern batteries is based on Volta's work from over 200 years ago, which highlights the importance of his invention. Alessandro Volta's 270th birthday has been marked in the latest Google doodle

Alessandro Volta's full name was Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta and he was born in Como, Italy on February 18, 1745. Volta went on to become a professor of physics at the Royal School in Como in 1774. Five years later, he became a professor of experimental physics at the University of Pavia in Italy.

In 1800, Alessandro Volta invented the voltaic pile. This is an early form of an electrochemical cell that could produce a steady current. This forms the base of battery technology as we know it today. Google's doodle marks this phenomenal achievement. The doodle is a golden plate with the word Google written on it. Between the letters "Goo" and "gle" is an animated battery that is being charged. This animation is similar to the battery charging animation seen in old Nokia phones.

This Alessandro Volta doodle was created by doodler Mark Holmes, who writes, "Experimenting with different metals and solutions, Volta ended up creating the first electric battery: the Voltaic Pile, a stack of alternating metal discs separated by cardboard and cloth soaked with seawater." He adds, "But what made this battery so remarkable was that it was easy to construct out of common materials and enabled experimenters for the first time to produce steady, predictable flows of electricity. Within just weeks it inspired a wave of discoveries and inventions and ushered in a new age of electrical science."

Holmes goes on to describe how he designed the Alessandro Volta doodle, with the most important element being, "Having a basic design, I now needed to add more antiquated texture and detail to make it feel as though it could have been the first advertisement for the world's first electrical battery." The doodle does feel like an advertisement for a revolutionary technology.

Google's doodle marking Alessandro Volta's 270th birthday is available across the world, barring a few strange exceptions. It isn't available in some African countries such as Mauritania, North Sudan and South Sudan. In Asia, the doodle doesn't appear in Iran and Yemen, while in Europe, the only countries that don't get this doodle are Ukraine and Bulgaria.

For more Google doodles, visit this page.