Creator of alkaline battery dies

"The man who made possible Walkmans, iPods and more than a thousand other portable devices with his invention of a long-lasting alkaline battery... died Tuesday... Lewis Urry came up with [the batteries] in the 1950s. They sell by the billions and are enshrined near Thomas Edison's light bulb in the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History. Despite the presence of Urry's creation in houses everywhere, he never became a household name... Urry developed the first practical long-life battery... His invention allowed a cordless lifestyle for people around the world. It is a key factor in the widespread use of devices such as electric razors, laptop computers, camcorders and video games." (Cleveland Plain Dealer)