Leading up to the year 1850 there were a number of innovations occurring that would fundamentally change society, but it was the discovery that electricity could be generated chemically that had the greatest impact. Before examining the reasons why this discovery was so important, however, it is also pertinent to acknowledge the significance of mechanical calculators in the 1800s. The introduction of new calculating technologies in the Gilded Age, as this period is commonly known, lead to leaps in productivity and enabled rapid industrialization, but it was not until the late 1800s and the early 1900s that these technologies made their largest advancements and contributions to society. As a result, the creation of the first battery by Alessandro
