The History of Alkaline Batteries

Lewis Frederick Urry created the first long-lasting alkaline battery while working for the Canadian National Carbon Company (a division of Union Carbide), which produced Eveready batteries. He used powdered zinc and manganese dioxide electrodes alongside an alkaline material to create his batteries. Notably, he shaped the test batteries into cylinders rather than discs, as was popular with the inferior zinc-carbon batteries in use at the time. (Battery technology is relatively old — the first electric battery was developed by Alessandro Volta in 1800.) Urry tested his batteries in toy cars that he bought at a local toy store. He found that his batteries lasted significantly longer than the zinc-carbon option. His long-lasting batteries were quickly put into production in 1958 and Urry patented his invention in 1959. Eveready batteries were renamed to Energizer in 1980. Notably, Urry is also credited with inventing the lithium battery. While alkaline and lithium batteries have undergone improvements over the years, Urry’s work made both technologies possible. Both types are still in use today.