Gaston Planté

Life & Legacy

Gaston Planté (French pronunciation: [ʁɛmɔ̃ lwi ɡastɔ̃ plɑ̃te]; 22 April 1834 – 21 May 1889) was a French physicist who invented the lead–acid battery in 1859. This type of battery was developed as the first rechargeable electric battery marketed for commercial use and it is widely used in automobiles.
Planté was born on 22 April 1834 in Orthez, France. In 1854 he began work as an assistant lecturer in physics at the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris. In 1860 he was promoted to the post of Professor of Physics at the Polytechnic Association for the Development of Popular Instruction. An amphitheatre at that institute is named after him.
In 1855, Planté discovered the first fossils of the prehistoric flightless bird Gastornis parisiensis (named after him) near Paris. This gigantic animal was a very close relative of the famous diatrymas of North America. At that time, Planté was at the start of his academic career, serving as a teaching assistant to A. E. Becquerel (father of Nobel laureate Henri Becquerel). This early discovery—although it created considerable excitement in 1855—was soon to be overshadowed by Planté's subsequent discoveries.
He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1882.