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VOLTA, ALESSANDRO (1745-1827)

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 198 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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VOLTA
VOLTA, ALESSANDRO (1745-1827)

VOLTA, ALESSANDRO (1745-1827) , See also:

ITALIAN

Italian physicist, was See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born at See also:

Como on the 18th of See also:

FEBRUARY

February 1745. He is celebrated as a See also:

PIONEER

pioneer of See also:

electrical See also:

SCIENCE (Lat. scientia, from scire; to learn, know)

science, after whom the " volt " is named. In 1774 he was appointed See also:

PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

professor of physics in the gymnasium of Como, and in 1777 he travelled through Switzer-See also:

LAND

land, where he formed an intimate friendship with H. B. de See also:

Saussure. In 1779 a See also:

CHAIR (in. Mid. Eng. chcere, through O. Fr. chaire or chaiere, from Lat. cathedra, later caledra, Gr. xaOi3pa, seat, cf. "cathedral"; the modern Fr. form chaise, a chair, has been adopted in English with a particular meaning as a form of carriage; chaire

chair of physics was founded in See also:

PAVIA (anc. Ticinum, q.v.)

Pavia, and Volta was chosen to occupy it. In 1782 he journeyed through See also:

France, See also:

Germany, See also:

Holland and See also:

England, and became acquainted with many scientific celebrities. In 1791 he received the See also:

COPLEY, JOHN SINGLETON (1737—1815)

Copley See also:

MEDAL (Fr. medaille, from Lat. metallum)

medal of the Royal Society. In 18o1 See also:

NAPOLEON

Napoleon called him to See also:

Paris, to show his experiments on contact See also:

ELECTRICITY

electricity, and a medal was struck in his See also:

HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour. He was made a senator of the See also:

KINGDOM

kingdom of See also:

LOMBARDY

Lombardy. In r815 the See also:

EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor of See also:

Austria made him director of the philosophical See also:

FACULTY (through the French, from the Lat. facultas, ability to do anything, from facilis, easy, facere, to do; another form of the word in Lat. facilitas, facility, ease, keeps the original meaning)

faculty of See also:

PADUA (Lat. Patavium ; Ital. Padova)

Padua. In 1819 he retired and settled in his native See also:

TOWN

town, where he died on the 5th of See also:

March 1827. For Volta's electrical See also:

WORK

work, and his See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place in the See also:

HISTORY

history of See also:

DISCOVERY

discovery (see ELECTRICITY; also See also:

VOLTMETER

End of Article: VOLTA, ALESSANDRO (1745-1827)

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