In the late 1800’s, scientists were experimenting with cathode-ray tubes, which are electron emitting devices now used in TV’s and computers. In 1895, during one of these experiments, a German physicist named Wilhelm Rontgen discovered that a strange radiation was originating from the cathode tube he was working on. He called this unknown radiation ‘x-rays’.
Rontgen investigated these rays and found that they produced an image on a photographic plate and could penetrate materials such as paper, wood and living tissue. It was also found that x-rays could not pass through dense objects like bone and metal. This meant that dense materials left an imprint on photographic film. This led Rontgen to take the first x-ray image on December 22, 1895 of his wife’s hand showing her bones and a ring that she was wearing.
This discovery was a medical breakthrough since doctors could now look into the body without surgery. Soon physicians were using x-rays to find out what was not possible to diagnose by just a physical examination of the patient.
Rontgen received the first ever Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for his remarkable discovery and is known as the ‘Father of Diagnostic Radiology’. Today, X-ray technology is used in medicine, material analysis and devices such as airport security scanners.
Picture Credit : Google
