William Robert Grove develops a novel form…

William Robert Grove develops a novel form of electric primary cell, the Grove cell, which uses zinc and platinum electrodes exposed to two acids and separated by a porous ceramic pot.

The Welsh-born British lawyer, judge and physical scientist announces the latter development to the Académie des Sciences in Paris in 1839.

Later this year, he gives another account of his development at the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Birmingham where it arouses the interest of Michael Faraday.

The Grove cell is soon to be the favored power source of the early American telegraph system in the period 1840 - 1860 because it offers a high current output and higher voltage than the earlier Daniell cell (at 1.9 volts and 1.1 volts, respectively).