Wilhelm Röntgen Discovers X-Rays (1895)

This Day in History

Wilhelm Röntgen Discovers X-Rays (1895)

In 1895, Röntgen, a German physicist, discovered rays that did not exhibit properties such as reflection or refraction. Because of their mysterious nature, he called them X-rays. His discovery, which gave medicine a critical view inside the body and allowed bones to be photographed, remains a valuable diagnostic tool. Röntgen's breakthrough earned him the first Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901. One of the first X-ray photographs he took was of his wife's hand. What did she say when she saw it? More...