On the 120th Anniversary of the X-ray, a Look at How It Changed Our View of the World

Sunday, November 8 marks the 120th anniversary of one of the greatest moments in the history of science: an obscure German physics professor’s discovery of the X-ray.
On the 120th Anniversary of the X-ray, a Look at How It Changed Our View of the World
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Richard Gunderman
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Sunday, November 8 marks the 120th anniversary of one of the greatest moments in the history of science: an obscure German physics professor’s discovery of the X-ray. His name was Wilhelm Roentgen, and in the six weeks that followed, he devoted nearly every waking hour to exploring the properties of the new rays before announcing his discovery to the world. Within just months, scientists worldwide were experimenting with the newly discovered rays. Roentgen’s discovery and its subsequent revolutionary impact represent one of science’s greatest stories.

Portrait of Wilhelm Roentgen (Wikimedia Commons)
Portrait of Wilhelm Roentgen Wikimedia Commons
Richard Gunderman
Richard Gunderman
Author
Richard Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D., is Chancellor's Professor of Radiology, Pediatrics, Medical Education, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, Philanthropy, and Medical Humanities and Health Studies at Indiana University. His most recent books are “Marie Curie” and “Contagion.”