February 18th
1745 Alessandro G. A. A. Volta, who invented the voltaic pile "vota pila", was born. He observed the bubbling of methane in swamps and in 1776-77 studied the chemistry of gases, discovered methane, and devised experiments such as the ignition of gases by an electric spark in a closed vessel. The unit of electric potential, the volt, is named in his honor.
1913 Frederick Soddy, who coined the phrase "isotopic elements" for elements that share the same place in the periodic table, was born.