Energizer marks development of first commercial battery
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Oct. 5, 2005

Sometime today, you’ll likely use — or maybe even wear — a device powered by one of them.

Your watch, iPod and cell phone use one.

We’re talking about the battery.

The Columbia dry cell

While development of the modern battery can be traced to the late 18th century, the first successful consumer battery was invented in Lakewood in the mid-1890s by E.M. Jewett, an employee of the National Carbon Company. Marketed in 1896 as the Columbia dry cell, the six-inch, 1.5-volt device found a market with consumers by providing power for early automobiles and telephones.

The American Chemical Society acknowledged the importance of the invention by unveiling a National Historic Chemical Landmark plaque Sept. 27 at the Westlake campus of the Energizer Battery Company, which can trace its corporate roots to the National Carbon Company.

“The basics of modern batteries were defined by the Columbia dry cell,” Bill Carroll, president of the American Chemical Society, said during ceremonies attended by about 250 Energizer employees. The technology of the carbon-zinc Columbia served as the basis for all dry cell batteries until the alkaline battery was developed in the late 1950s.

The society created the landmarks program, Carroll said, to help Americans learn more about how chemistry has enhanced our lives. Over 50 landmark sites have been recognized. The landmark program acknowledges groundbreaking inventions or achievements that occurred at least 25 years ago and led to a significant benefit to society.

The Columbia dry cell clearly marked the beginning of a new era of consumer products, Carroll said.

“Most of the things that make modern life truly modern run on batteries,” he said.

The Columbia, which was given its name by a sales manager at the National Carbon Company, was considered portable in its day but actually weighed six pounds, noted Virginia Brandt, Energizer’s general manager of technology.

“I would say portability has come a long way since the late 1800s,” she said, adding that today’s large C and D batteries were considered miniature when first introduced.

Energizer, the world’s largest manufacturer of batteries and flashlights, today has about 400 employees conducting research and development on batteries at its 35-acre Westlake campus near Columbia and Detroit roads.

“We have a lot of science going on here,” said Dan Carpenter, vice president and chief technology officer at Energizer’s Westlake facility. “We have a lot of Ph.D.s doing basic research and battery development.”

Battery technology is continually being improved, said Jacqueline Burwitz, media relations coordinator at Energizer. An alkaline battery produced today will last three times longer than one made in the 1980s, she said.