Alessandro Volta Google Logo Celebrates 270th Birthday Of The Inventor Of World’s First Electrical Battery

Today’s Google homepage pays tribute to the inventor of the first electrical battery Alessandro Volta. The doodle marks Volta’s 270th birthday with an animated image of the world’s first electric battery powering the Google letters.

After watching a dead frog’s leg twitch when they were touched by two metals, Volta got the idea for his invention — stacking alternating metal discs separated by cardboard and seawater-soaked cloth.

The logo illustrates Volta’s battery lighting up the Google letters, and includes typographic details like Volta’s name, the elements he used, and the year he invented the battery.

“One key idea I wanted to communicate was how the voltage of the battery increased as the stack grew,” said doodler Mark Holmes who designed the logo. Holmes said he wanted the doodle to look like it could have been the first advertisement for the world’s first electrical battery.

You can read more about Holme’s design process and see other versions of the the Alesssandro Volta logo on Google’s doodle site.

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Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.