We First Started Using This Technology in the 1800s

I've got examples of this Victorian tech within arm's reach right now. You probably do too.

I'm talking about the humble battery, or 'cell' for any science teachers out there. Yes, batteries as we know them today have existed for well over 125 years. I was pretty surprised by this, I guess because a lot of what we use them in today was only invented in the last century, like air-con and TV remotes, for example. They've gotten smaller, and a bit better, but the basic design is exactly the same. 

From D to AAA

D batteries, which I vaguely remember from being a 90s/early-00s kiddywink, were first commercialized in 1898. They were mainly used to power flashlights, which I'm pretty sure is what I was using the last one I saw for. AAs cropped up in 1907, followed by AAAs in 1911, making them all over a century old. Something to think about next time you're flipping the batteries in your remote around to squeeze the last bit of life out of them.

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