Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a German physicist born in 1845 who is credited with the discovery of X-rays in 1895. While experimenting with cathode ray tubes, he observed that a nearby material emitted light when the tube was operating, which he termed X-rays. He took the first X-ray photographs, including of his wife's hand. For his discovery, he received numerous honors including the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Röntgen made his discovery accidentally while experimenting on whether cathode rays could pass through glass in his lab in Würzburg, Germany.

1. WILHELM
CONRAD
RÖNTGEN
Born: 27 March 1845, Lennep
(now Remscheid), Prussia
(now Germany)
Died: 10 February 1923,
Munich, Germany

2.  Röntgen was married to Anna Bertha
Ludwig and had one child, Josephine Bertha
Ludwig. Adopted at age 6, in 1887, she was the
daughter of Anna's brother.

3.  In 1895, while experimenting with electric current flow in a
cathode-ray tube, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen observed that a
nearby piece of barium platinocyanide gave off light when the
tube was in operation. In view of its uncertain nature, he
called the phenomenon X-radiation (also Röntgen radiation).
He took the first X-ray photographs: interiors of metal objects
and of the bones in his wife's hand.

4. His wife’s
X-ray hand.

5. I N 1 8 7 5 H E B E C A M E A P RO F E S S O R AT T H E
AC A D E M Y O F AG R I C U LT U R E AT
H O H E N H E I M , W Ü R T T E M B E RG.
RÖ N T G E N H A D FA M I LY I N I OWA I N
T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S A N D AT O N E T I M E
P L A N N E D T O E M I G R AT E . A LT H O U G H H E
AC C E P T E D A N A P P O I N T M E N T AT C O L U M B I A
U N I V E R S I T Y I N N E W YO R K C I T Y A N D H A D
AC T UA L LY P U RC H A S E D T R A N S AT L A N T I C
T I C K E T S, T H E O U T B R E A K O F WO R L D WA R I
C H A N G E D H I S P L A N S A N D H E R E M A I N E D
I N M U N I C H F O R T H E R E S T O F H I S C A R E E R .

6. RON T G E N’ S D ISCOVE RY
OCCURRE D ACCIDE NTAL LY IN
HIS WURZBURG, GERMANY, LAB,
W HE RE HE WAS T E ST IN G
WHE THE R CATHODE RAY S COUL D
PASS THROUGH GL ASS WHE N HE
NOTICE D A GL OW COMING FROM
A NEARBY CHEMICALLY COATED
SCRE E N. HE DUBBE D THE RAY S
THAT CAUSE D THIS GL OW X -RAY S
BE CAUSE OF THE IR UNK NOWN
NATURE .

9. WHAT HIS DISCOVERY DID:
 His discovery of x-rays was a great revolution in the fields of
physics and medicine and electrified the general public. It also earned
him the Rumford Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1896 and
the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. He is also known for his
discoveries in mechanics, heat, and electricity.

10. Röntgen died at Munich on
February 10, 1923, from carcinoma of
the intestine.
SOME AWARD RONTGEN WON:
Rumford Medal (1896)
Matteucci Medal (1896)
Elliott Cresson Medal (1897)
Nobel Prize for Physics (1901)

11. WILHELM CONRAD
RÖNTGEN WAS A NOBEL-
WINNING GERMAN
SCIENTIST WHO IS
CREDITED WITH THE
DISCOVERY OF X-RAYS.