Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845 - 1923) was a German physicist who, on 8 November 1895, discovered the form of electromagnetic radiation now known as X-rays, a breakthrough that transformed both medicine and physics.[1] For this achievement he was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.[2]
Early life and education
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was born on 27 March 1845 in Lennep, a town in the Rhine Province of Prussia that is today part of Remscheid, Germany. His family later moved to the Netherlands. He studied mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic in Zurich, now ETH Zurich, and received his doctorate from the University of Zurich in 1869.[3]
Academic career
After his studies, Röntgen worked as an assistant to the physicist August Kundt, moving with him to Würzburg and then Strasbourg. He went on to hold professorships at several German universities and, at the University of Würzburg, served as rector. He concluded his academic career at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.[3]
Discovery of X-rays
On 8 November 1895, while experimenting with cathode rays inside a shielded Crookes tube at the University of Würzburg, Röntgen observed that a nearby fluorescent screen glowed even though the tube was covered. He concluded that an unknown, highly penetrating form of radiation was responsible and named it "X-radiation" to signify its unknown nature.[1] Weeks later he produced one of the first radiographic images, showing the bones of his wife Anna Bertha's hand together with her wedding ring.[1]
Nobel Prize and later years
News of the discovery spread rapidly, and physicians soon adopted X-rays for medical imaging. In 1901 Röntgen was awarded the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics in recognition of the discovery.[2] He declined to seek patents on his work, believing that it should remain freely available for the benefit of humanity, and he donated his Nobel Prize money to the University of Würzburg.[2]
Legacy
Röntgen died in Munich on 10 February 1923. His discovery laid the foundation for diagnostic radiology and helped inspire subsequent research in atomic physics. In German-speaking countries X-rays are still called Röntgen rays, and his name is commemorated by the roentgen, a unit of radiation exposure, and by roentgenium, the chemical element with atomic number 111.[3]
