Röntgen: discovering X-rays

What changed

Observed penetrating radiation produced around a discharge tube, opening a way to investigate structures hidden from visible light.

Scientific scope

Observed penetrating radiation produced around a discharge tube, opening a way to investigate structures hidden from visible light. Scope limitation: The date is the original German report; the linked English translation appeared in January 1896. Later medical imaging systems and radiation-protection knowledge are separate developments.

Evidence

Assessment uses the catalogue-linked source evidence for the stated contribution. The date is the original German report; the linked English translation appeared in January 1896. Later medical imaging systems and radiation-protection knowledge are separate developments.

Contributors

• Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen · SCIENCE: Named source contributor; exact labor shares are not measured.

• Röntgen: On a New Kind of Rays, Nature 53, 274–276 (1896), translated 1895 communication

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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