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. |