‘Batteries’

The electric battery was invented in 1799, by Alessandro Volta. (I know some will consider the year 1799 to be actually the start of the 19th Century, but please indulge me here!)

Before Volta, it was assumed that electricity was generated by living beings (animal electricity). He discovered that electricity could be generated chemically and made to flow evenly through a conductor in a closed circuit. He built a battery, known as a Voltaic pile, made of alternating copper and zinc discs, with each pair of metals separated by flannel soaked in weak acid.

200 years later, the development of his invention has led to small batteries (many rechargeable) in a wide range of consumer goods, including the camera with which todays blip was taken!