Gaston Planté

Who was Gaston Planté?

Gaston Planté was the French physicist who invented the lead-acid battery in 1859. The lead-acid battery eventually became the first rechargeable electric battery marketed for commercial use.

Planté was born on April 22, 1834, in Orthez, France. In 1854, he began work as an assistant lecturer in physics at the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris, and in 1860, rose 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, he discovered the first fossils of the prehistoric flightless bird Gastornis parisiensis 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, being just a teaching assistant to A. E. Becquerel. Thus, this early discovery—despite causing considerable furor in 1855—was soon to be overshadowed by Planté's subsequent discoveries.