Lewis Urry facts for kids

Lewis Frederick Urry (born January 29, 1927 – died October 19, 2004) was a clever Canadian chemical engineer and inventor. He is famous for inventing two very important types of batteries: the alkaline battery and the lithium battery. He created these while working for the Eveready Battery company. His inventions made our portable devices last much longer!

Early Life and Education

Lewis Urry was born on January 29, 1927, in a place called Pontypool, Ontario, Canada. Before going to college, he spent some time serving in the Canadian army. In 1950, he graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in chemical engineering. Just a few months after finishing his studies, he started working for the Eveready Battery company.

Lewis Urry was married to Beverley Ann, who passed away in 1993. They had three sons and two daughters together. Lewis Urry died on October 19, 2004. He is buried in Butternut Ridge Cemetery, located in Eaton Township, Ohio.

Inventing Better Batteries

The Problem with Old Batteries

In 1955, Lewis Urry was sent to the Eveready Battery company's lab in Parma, Ohio. His main job was to find a way to make the old zinc-carbon batteries last longer. These batteries didn't last very long, and this was causing the company to lose sales. Lewis soon realized that it would be better to invent a completely new type of battery instead of trying to improve the old ones.

Developing the Alkaline Battery

Many engineers had tried to make alkaline batteries in the 1950s. However, no one had been able to create a battery that lasted long enough to be worth its higher production cost. Lewis Urry began testing many different materials. He found that manganese dioxide and solid zinc worked very well together. He combined them with an alkaline substance, which acted as an electrolyte (a material that helps electricity flow).

At first, his new battery couldn't provide enough power. Lewis Urry solved this big problem by using powdered zinc instead of solid zinc. This change made a huge difference!

Getting the Patent

On October 9, 1957, Lewis Urry, along with Karl Kordesch and P.A. Marsal, filed a patent for their amazing new alkaline dry cell battery. This battery used a powdered zinc gel inside. The patent (number 2,960,558) was officially granted on November 15, 1960. It was given to the Union Carbide Corporation, which owned Eveready Battery at the time.

Proving the New Battery Works

To convince his managers that his new battery was great, Lewis Urry did a clever demonstration. He put his new battery into a toy car. Then, he raced it around the company's canteen against another toy car using one of the older batteries. Lewis's new invention lasted many times longer! It was clear that his battery was much better.

Because of this successful demonstration, Eveready Battery started making Lewis Urry's new alkaline battery design in 1959.

Modern Alkaline Batteries

In 1980, the Eveready brand was renamed Energizer. Thanks to many new technological improvements over the years, modern alkaline batteries can now last up to 40 times longer than Lewis Urry's original prototype!

In 1999, Lewis Urry donated his very first prototype alkaline battery to the Smithsonian Institution. He also gave them the first commercially produced cylindrical battery. Both of these important cells are now on display in the same room as Thomas Edison's famous lightbulb.

See also

In Spanish: Lewis Urry para niños