Rontgen Born: X-Ray Pioneer Who Shared His Discovery
Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays on November 8, 1895, by accident — he noticed fluorescence on a screen across the room from a cathode ray tube covered with cardboard. He spent six weeks confirming what he'd found before publishing. The first X-ray image he made was of his wife Anna's hand; you can see the bones and her wedding ring. He called the rays 'X' because their nature was unknown. He won the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. He donated the prize money to his university. Born March 27, 1845, in Lennep, Germany. He died February 10, 1923, from colon cancer. He refused to patent X-ray technology, believing it should belong to humanity. The first medical X-ray examination of a human patient happened within months of his paper.
March 27, 1845
181 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on March 27
Emperor Wu of Han secured the future of his dynasty by naming his eight-year-old son, Fuling, as his successor. This transition prevented a power vacuum during …
He was five years old when they placed the double crown on his head. Ptolemy V's regents immediately murdered his mother and plunged Egypt into civil war, losin…
He'd just murdered his rival in a church. Twenty-four hours earlier. Still, Robert the Bruce showed up at Scone for his coronation, knowing Edward I had spies e…
Pope Clement V excommunicated the entire city of Venice and banned all international trade with its merchants after the Republic seized the papal territory of F…
Pope Clement V excommunicated Venice and its entire population, a bold move that strained relations between the Church and one of the most powerful city-states …
Pope John XXII issued the papal bull In Agro Dominico, formally condemning twenty-eight propositions from Meister Eckhart’s mystical writings as heretical. This…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.