How did Alessandro Volta create the voltaic pile?

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Alessandro Volta developed the voltaic pile in 1800, successfully challenging the theory of "animal electricity" proposed by Luigi Galvani. While Galvani believed electricity originated in living tissue, Volta hypothesized that it was produced by the contact of two different metals.1

To prove this, Volta experimented with various metal combinations and discovered that animal tissue was unnecessary to generate a current. He constructed his battery by stacking alternating disks of two different metals—typically zinc and silver, or copper and pewter—separated by paper or cloth soaked in salt water or sodium hydroxide.1

This arrangement created a reliable source of continuous electric current that did not require recharging, unlike the Leyden jar used previously. His invention laid the foundation for electrochemistry and the study of electrolysis.1