Batteries were the beginning of commercial electricity. Volta was the first person to make it when he invented his battery in 1800. Remember, there were no power stations in those days, let alone electricity distribution grids. There were no batteries before Volta either. We wrote this post to imagine what it would be like if there were no batteries now.
There Were No Commercial Batteries Until Portable Devices Arrived
Wealthy people began manufacturing electricity using generators. The U.S. was ahead of the game, with the Pearl Street Power Station in Manhattan firing up in 1882. People became accustomed to tapping into electricity by plugging a cable into a wall. It became the new normal in cities.
How incredibly quaint this electricity was. We have heard pioneering telephones plugged into the wall too. Until someone invented a cell phone with a recharging battery, that is. To rewind for a moment, gasoline automobiles were a great invention, although hand cranking the engine was a real pain because there were no batteries. Then in 1912, Cadillac invented a device called a starter motor that needed a lead acid battery to work.
How the Marriage of Batteries and Devices Changed the World
A period of indecisiveness followed, until engineers developed low-voltage electronic circuits that empowered portable radios, and eventually smartphones, laptops, wearables, and a whole host of other devices.
Let’s hold that thought for a moment. Just imagine if there were no batteries, a crazy thought admittedly. How would your life change? We would have no portable electronic devices at all. And no desktop computers either, because there would be no button battery to maintain the boot settings.
We would not have managed to put spacecraft in orbit. Our medical science would still be mechanical and our lifetimes would be shorter. Remember what batteries have achieved, next time you hold a tiny miracle in your hands.
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