Alessandro_Volta Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (February 18, 1745 – March 5, 1827) was a Lombard physicist known especially for the development of the first electric cell in 1800.Volta was born in Como, Italy and taught in the public schools there. In 1774 he became a professor of physics at the Royal School in Como. One year later, Volta perfected the electrophorus, a device that produces charges of static electricity.