Who Discovered X-rays? The Truth About Wilhelm Roentgen

Wilhelm Roentgen: The True Discoverer of X-rays

Contrary to a common misconception, Thomas Edison did not invent the X-ray. X-rays were discovered in 1895 by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen while he was experimenting with cathode rays in his laboratory at the University of Würzburg.

Key Facts

• Roentgen observed a fluorescent screen glowing from across the room when cathode rays struck a target, even though the tube was covered.
• He named the unknown radiation "X-rays" (X for unknown).
• The first medical X-ray image was of his wife's hand, showing her bones and wedding ring.
• Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for this discovery.

Edison later contributed to X-ray technology development (e.g., fluoroscopy), but the fundamental discovery belongs to Roentgen.