1380: "The Battery that Refuses to Die"

HistoryPodcastScience
Written By JC

Interesting Things with JC #1380: "The Battery that Refuses to Die" – At Oxford, a mysterious battery has powered two bells for nearly 185 years. Unopened, unexplained, and still ringing. How can something built in 1840 outlast our smartest tech?

Curriculum - Episode Anchor

Episode Title: The Battery that Refuses to Die

Episode Number: #1380

Host: JC

Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners

Subject Area: Physics, Engineering History, Chemistry, Energy Systems

Lesson Overview

Students will:

  • Define the concept of a dry pile battery and its electrochemical properties.

  • Compare historical and modern battery technologies using lifespan, materials, and design.

  • Analyze how electrostatic force powers the Oxford bell battery over time.

  • Explain the scientific and historical significance of long-lasting energy sources.

Key Vocabulary

  • Electrostatic (ih-lek-troh-STAT-ik) — Relating to stationary electric charges. The clapper moves by electrostatic force between the battery terminals.

  • Dry pile (DRY pyle) — A type of battery that does not use liquid electrolytes. The Oxford battery is thought to be a dry pile based on early 19th-century designs.

  • Manganese dioxide (MAN-guh-neez dye-OK-side) — A compound used as a depolarizer in early batteries. Used in the Zamboni pile to maintain charge separation.

  • Zamboni pile (zam-BOH-nee pyle) — An early battery invented in 1812 by Giuseppe Zamboni using stacked metal and paper discs. This is likely the design used in the Oxford bell battery.

  • Electrolyte (ee-LEK-troh-lyt) — A chemical medium that allows the flow of electrical charge. Unlike modern batteries, the Oxford pile uses no liquid electrolyte.

Narrative Core (Based on the PSF – relabeled)

  • Open — The mystery of a battery ringing bells for nearly 185 years at Oxford.

  • Info — The battery’s installation circa 1840, and how it works via electrostatic force.

  • Details — It likely contains a Zamboni pile with silver, zinc, paper, and manganese dioxide.

  • Reflection — While modern science races for longer battery life, this antique cell quietly endures.

  • Closing — These are interesting things, with JC.

A glass display at Oxford University shows the Oxford Electric Bell, two dry-pile batteries in a jar with a tiny clapper ringing since 1840.

Transcript

There’s a battery at Oxford University that refuses to die. Installed around 1840, it’s been powering two brass bells ever since. The clapper swings back and forth about twice every second, under electrostatic force, and has done so for nearly 185 years.

No one knows exactly what’s inside, and it’s never been opened—because if it were, the ringing would likely stop. Experts believe it’s a type of dry pile, similar to the Zamboni pile invented in 1812. That design used thousands of stacked discs made from silver foil, zinc foil, and paper coated with manganese dioxide, all insulated with sulfur. Without liquid electrolyte to evaporate or corrode, the charge can last far longer than most batteries.

For comparison, an everyday alkaline battery might last ten years unused. NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, still send faint signals thanks to nuclear power more than 45 years later. Yet this 19th-century battery has kept its bells ringing for almost two centuries—longer than Edison’s lightbulb, longer than the telephone, and longer than the Space Age itself.

In a world chasing longer-lasting batteries for electric cars, smartphones, and renewable energy storage, Oxford’s dry pile stands as a reminder—sometimes the most durable technology was built before the modern age even began.

The bells keep chiming, just as they have since the Victorian era—a heartbeat Oxford University carrying through time.

These are interesting things, with JC.

Student Worksheet

  1. What is the most likely internal structure of the Oxford bell battery, and who invented it?

  2. How does the battery operate without needing a liquid electrolyte?

  3. Compare the Oxford dry pile’s longevity to other long-lasting power sources mentioned.

  4. Why has the battery never been opened?

  5. Describe one reason why older technology can sometimes outperform modern devices.

Teacher Guide

Estimated Time

  • 45–60 minutes

Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy

  • Introduce terms using visual diagrams of early batteries and materials

  • Use Think-Pair-Share with the word "electrostatic" applied in real-world examples

Anticipated Misconceptions

  • Students may assume all batteries need liquid electrolytes

  • Confusion between chemical vs. nuclear power sources (e.g., Voyager probe)

Discussion Prompts

  • Should scientists open the battery to study it, knowing it may stop functioning?

  • How can historical innovations teach us lessons for today’s sustainability efforts?

Differentiation Strategies

  • ESL: Provide labeled diagrams with multilingual glossaries

  • IEP: Simplify text chunks and allow oral responses

  • Gifted: Research and present on the evolution of battery technology from Zamboni to lithium-ion

Extension Activities

  • Build a simple dry cell battery using stacked materials

  • Investigate other “mystery technologies” from history still functioning today

Cross-Curricular Connections

  • Physics: Energy transfer, electrostatics

  • Chemistry: Oxidation-reduction reactions

  • History of Science: Inventions of the Industrial and Victorian Eras

  • Ethics: Preservation vs. experimentation in science

Quiz

Q1. What phenomenon powers the clapper in the Oxford battery bell?
A. Magnetism
B. Electrostatic force
C. Gravity
D. Steam pressure
Answer: B

Q2. When was the Oxford bell battery likely installed?
A. 1812
B. 1900
C. 1840
D. 1977
Answer: C

Q3. What common battery feature is missing in the Oxford dry pile?
A. Electrons
B. Wires
C. Liquid electrolyte
D. Light bulb
Answer: C

Q4. Which invention is said to last longer than the telephone?
A. Lithium-ion battery
B. The Oxford bell battery
C. Edison’s generator
D. The incandescent lamp
Answer: B

Q5. Why hasn't the Oxford battery been opened?
A. It is radioactive
B. It belongs to a museum
C. Its design is classified
D. Opening it may stop the ringing
Answer: D

Assessment

  1. Explain how the Oxford dry pile works and what materials make it unique.

  2. Why is the Oxford battery considered a significant historical and scientific artifact?

3–2–1 Rubric

  • 3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful

  • 2 = Partial or missing detail

  • 1 = Inaccurate or vague

Standards Alignment

U.S. NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

  • HS-PS3-3: Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert energy.

  • HS-PS2-6: Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.

Common Core ELA-Literacy

  • RST.11-12.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure.

  • RST.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats.

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)

  • 1.1 Empowered Learner: Use technology to demonstrate learning and curiosity in science and engineering topics.

International Standards

UK National Curriculum (KS4 Science)

  • Physics - Energy: Describe energy transfers and transformations in systems.

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)

  • Section 4.2: Electrical energy and power — Describe practical electric cells, including energy conversion and efficiency.

IB MYP Science (Year 4–5)

  • Criterion B: Inquiring and designing — Apply scientific reasoning to explore historical and modern technologies.

Show Notes

This episode explores a rare and enduring piece of Victorian engineering: a battery at Oxford University that has powered a set of bells for over 180 years. Likely based on the early 19th-century Zamboni pile, the battery uses electrostatic force, silver and zinc foils, and dry insulation to create an exceptionally long-lasting energy source. The episode ties into modern questions of sustainability, energy innovation, and scientific preservation. It encourages students to consider how historical science can inform future breakthroughs—making it perfect for physics, chemistry, or engineering discussions.

References

JC https://jimconnors.org
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