Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) invented the Voltaic Pile by placing together a pair of copper and zinc discs separated by paper soaked in salt water, thereby generating an electrical current.
	Because this generated only a small electrical charge, he placed many discs on top of each other; this came to be known as the "Voltaic Pile."
	He published his findings on this and the Voltaic Cell in 1800. All subsequent advancements in electricity were based on these findings. His discovery of dynamic electricity is thought to have been the most important discovery of all time. In 1801, emperor of France Napoleon invited Volta to Paris to congratulate him on his findings. Soon after all of Europe was abuzz with news of his amazing achievements.

The voltaic cell consists of a copper and a zinc poles submerged in diluted sulphuric acid.
When sulfuric acid is diluted in water, it breaks down into hydrogen atoms and sulfates. When this happens, hydrogen atoms leave their electrons in the sulfates, thus becoming positive ions; the sulfates become negative ions. The zinc atoms release two electrons and become positive ions, which are dissolved in the dilute sulfuric acid. The electrons left in the zinc pole become free electrons.	By moving your mouse over the colored text, you can highlight the corresponding area in the picture.
The zinc ions in the dilute sulfuric acid push the hydrogen ions (which are less likely to be ionized) toward the copper pole. The hydrogen ions become attached to the free electrons from the zinc pole and reappear as hydrogen molecules. When this happens continuously, electrons flow from the zinc pole to the copper pole, thus generating an electric current.