What did people use before batteries were invented?
They didn't use electricity.
Check the history of batteries.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbattery.htm
candles, kerosene lamps, windmills and waterfall wheels to turn machines
you can find more if you search the internet
Before the invention of batteries, people relied on various other methods to produce and store energy. Let's explore a few of them:
1. Electrostatic generators: In the 18th century, electrostatic generators were used to generate static electricity. These devices, such as the Van de Graaff generator or the Leyden jar, could store a charge of static electricity for a short period.
2. Voltaic Pile: In 1800, Alessandro Volta invented the first true battery known as the voltaic pile. It was a stack of alternating zinc and copper discs separated by cardboard soaked in an electrolyte solution (such as brine or dilute sulfuric acid). This arrangement produced a steady flow of electric current.
3. Leyden Jar: The Leyden jar, invented in 1745, was an early form of a capacitor. It consisted of a glass jar partially filled with water or a conductive liquid and had a metal rod or foil inside acting as an electrode. When an electric charge was applied to the rod or foil, the Leyden jar could store the charge temporarily and release it when required.
4. Primitive electric cells: Before the modern battery, early inventors like Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta experimented with various chemical cells. These primitive cells used different combinations of metals and electrolytes to generate a small electric current.
5. Mechanical energy: People relied heavily on mechanical sources such as windmills, waterwheels, or manually operated cranks and levers to power their machinery and perform various tasks.
Therefore, before batteries were invented, people used a combination of electrostatic generators, capacitors, primitive cells, and mechanical energy to produce and store electricity as needed.