Record

Authorised form of name	Volta; Alessandro (1745 - 1827)
Dates	1745 - 1827
Place of birth	Como, duchy of Milan, Italy
Date of birth	19 February 1745
Place of death	Como, duchy of Milan, Italy
Date of death	05 March 1827
Research field	Physics
Activity	Career: Professor of Physics, Gymnasium, Como (1774); friend of H B de Saussure; Professor of Physics, Pavia (1779); called to Pairs by Napoleon I to demonstrate some of his experiments (1801); Director of the Philosophical Faculty, Padua (1815); retired and settled in Como (1819); 'volt' named after him
Membership category	Fellow
Date of election	05/05/1791
RSActivity	Medals and prizes: Copley Medal 1794
Source	Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DSB References: Marta Cavazza, 'The Institute of Science of Bologna and the Royal Society in the eighteenth century' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 3-25, plate Paul Elliott, 'Abraham Bennet, FRS (1749-1799): A Provincial Electrician in Eighteenth-Century England' in NR 1999 vol 53 pp 59-78 Marie Boas Hall, 'The Royal Society and Italy 1667-1795' in NR 1982-83 vol 37 pp 63-81 Patricia Fara, 'Letters from a scientific emperor', review of Neil Chambers, 'The letters of Sir Joseph Banks: a selection 1768 - 1829' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 264-265 K K Schwarz, 'Faraday and Babbage' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp367-381 N G Coley, 'George Pearson MD, FRS (1751-1828): 'The greatest chemist in England'? in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 161-175 M Crosland, 'Relationships between the Royal Society and the Academie des Sciences in the late eighteenth century' in NR 2005 vol 59 pp 25-34 Notes: DSB gives date of birth as 18 February 1745
Code	NA6396

Archives associated with this Fellow

RefNo	Title	Date
L&P/7/243	Paper, 'Of a method of rendering very sendible the weakest natural or artificial electricity' by Alessandro Volta	1782
NLB/62/180	Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to M. Cesare Morlacchi; R. Pallazo di Brera, Via Brera 28, Milano Italy	19 December 1921
NLB/62/670	Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Dr. Paget Toynbee; Fiveways, Burnham, Bucks	4 April 1922
L&P/10/70	Paper, 'Some further remarks on the influence discovered by Mr Galvani' by Alessandro Volta	22 May 1793
EC/1791/11	Volta, Alessandro: certificate of election to the Royal Society
IM/005261	Volta, Alessandro	nd
L&P/10/32	Letters, 'Account of some discoveries made by Galvani of Bologna; with experiments and observation on them' from Alessandro Volta to Tiberius Cavallo	1792
L&P/11/137	Letter, 'Account of electricity excied by contact and conducting substances of different kinds' from Alessandro Volta to Joseph Banks	20 March 1800

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