Lewis Frederick Urry

Lewis Frederick Urry was a Canadian-American chemical engineer and inventor. He invented both the alkaline battery and lithium battery while working for the Eveready Battery company. He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1950 and joined Eveready Battery as a development engineer. In 1955, he was sent to the company's laboratory in Parma, Ohio, where he was assigned to find a way to extend the lifespan of the zinc-carbon battery. He decided to experiment with alkaline cells instead and discovered that using powdered zinc and manganese dioxide electrodes with an alkaline electrolyte produced a longer-running battery. He patented his invention in 1959 and the first Eveready alkaline batteries were sold in 1958. He also developed the lithium battery, which is widely used in cell phones and cameras today. He held 51 patents in total and was recognized as one of the most influential inventors of the 20th century. He died of cancer in 2004 and donated his first prototype battery and the first commercially produced cylindrical battery to the Smithsonian Institution.