X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German physicist, on November 8, 1895, while he was experimenting with cathode rays in his laboratory in Würzburg, Germany.

Details of the Discovery

Röntgen accidentally found that these invisible rays could pass through solid objects, such as black cardboard shielding, and create images on a fluorescent screen nearby. He noticed that this new kind of ray could penetrate human tissue and cast shadows of bones and metal objects, leading to the first X-ray image—a radiograph of his wife's hand.

Naming and Impact

He called them "X-rays," with "X" representing the unknown nature of the rays at the time. News of the discovery spread rapidly, revolutionizing medicine and physics almost immediately. Radiology emerged as a new field, and the use of X-rays for medical diagnosis became common within a year.

Recognition

For his groundbreaking discovery, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.