Google celebrated the 270th birthday of Alessandro Volta on Wednesday with a special Google Doodle.

Google Doodle For Alessandro Volta’s Birthday

Volta was an Italian scientist who is credited with inventing the first electrical battery in the 18th century. As the Doodle shows, the battery, known as the Voltaic Pile, was made up of a series of metal discs. Volta was able to create the device using metal discs, cardboard and cloth, and the Voltaic Pile was reportedly able to conduct and produce a steady flow of electricity.

Volta, born in 1745, published his theories on the Voltaic Pile in 1799, and, by 1820, a form of the technology was commonly used in labs across Europe, leading to more advances in the study of electricity. Volta’s experimental work on electric currents sparked other experiments from other scientists that would eventually lead to the modern battery.