17 Awesome Facts About Batteries to Celebrate National Battery Day

It's a real holiday, apparently - and with good reason. Batteries make our lives better. So each February 18, we say thank you, batteries, for all your help.
1. The word "battery" was used by Ben Franklin to describe multiple Leyden jars.
Leyden jars are an old-timey power source. Also, remember when he flew a kite in a storm? That was great.
2. Ol' Ben borrowed the word from the military word to describe a bunch of weapons working together.
This is a battery of cannons.
3. Alessandro Volta was the first person to describe an electrochemical battery, though.
When Italy still used the lira, he was on their money! Science money!
4. John Frederic Daniell, though, made the first practical source of electricity.
He called it the Daniell cell, because all scientists want is GLORY.
5. Two of the many types of batteries are wet cell and dry cell.
This is nu metal band Dry Cell. They broke up. :(
6. Today, batteries come in lots of sizes.
Turns out there IS a size B battery - we just don't really have many products that need it!
7. The southern shore of Manhattan is called The Battery.
As in, "the Bronx is up and the Battery's down." There is a lovely park there called Battery Park.
8. There is a fish and chip shop in NYC called A Salt and Battery.
Get it? BATTER-y?
9. There used to be one in St. Lucia, but it closed.
Possibly due to poor typeface choices.
10. Assault and battery is the combination of two violent crimes: assault (the threat of violence) and battery (physical violence).
Jean-Claude Van Damme frequently commits both in his films, but here he is holding a chihuahua.
11. *batteries not included is a 1987 film starring Jessica Tandy.
Probably the best film featuring adorable robots until Wall-E gave it a run for its money.
12. You can make a battery out of potatoes.
A weak one, but it'll power a clock!
13. Lemons will work well too!
When life gives you lemons, make them into a battery.
14. A "battery battle" is when you see who's got the least juice.
To determine who gets the charger first. I have my doubts that this is a real thing people do.
15. The Energizer Bunny began as a response to its rival, the Duracell Bunny.
Duracell Bunny?!?!?! Yup. Duracell forgot to file a renewal on its US trademark, making Energizer North America's only battery brand with a pink bunny mascot.
16. The world's smallest battery is the size of a grain of sand.
It was made with a 3D printer!
16. These are cake batteries.

To help you really appreciate batteries, try going a whole day without using that something has a battery. Maybe tomorrow - since if you're reading this on your computer, it might be too late!

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