Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923, (Courtesy of AlP Emilio Segre Visual Three days before Christmas he that jolted the fin- brought his wife into his laborato- de-siecle disci ry, and they emerged with a photo- pline out of its graph of the bones in her hand and of mood of finality, the ring on her finger. The wurzburg of closing down Physico-Medical Society was the first the books with to hear of the new rays that could ever more precise penetrate the body and photograph measurements, of its bones. Roentgen delivered the losing itself in de- news on the 28th of December 1895. bates over statistical Emil Warburg relayed it to the Berlin mechanics, or of try Physical Society on the 4th of Janu- ing to ground al ary. The next day the wiener Press physical phenomena in carried the news, and the day fol- mathematically precise lowing word of Roentgens discovery fluctuations of the ether began to spread by telegraph around All three discoveries, X rays, the world uranium rays, and the elec- On the 13th of January, Roentgen tron, followed from one of the resented himself to the Kaiser and major experimental traditions in the was awarded the prussian order of second half of the nineteenth the Crown, Second Class. And on the century, the study of the discharge 16th of January theThe New-York of electricity in gases. All three Times announced the discovery as contributed to a profound transfor- a new form of photography, which mation of physics. In the 20th cen revealed hidden solids, penetrated tury, the discipline has been ground- wood, paper, and flesh, and exposed ed in the study of elementary Forms of tube used by Roentgen the bones of the human frame. "Men particles in 1895-1896 for th of science in this city are awaiting As with the invention of in- of X rays with the utmost impatience the candescent light arrival of English technical journals bulbs, the study which will give them the full par- of electrical dis ticulars of Professor Roentgen s dis- charge through covery of a method of photographing gases was made opaque bodies, The New-York possible by the Times began, and it concluded by pre- development of dicting the"transformation of mod- improved vacu- ern surgery by enabling the surgeon um technology to detect the presence of foreign in the 1850s. Ear bodies. "(an. 16, 1896, p 9) ly on, English The public was enthralled by this scientist new form of photography and curi- investigating the ous to know the nature of the new patterns of light rays. Physicians put it to immediate and dark that ap- use. Physicists sat up and took no- peared in sealed tice. The discovery of X rays was the lead-glass tubes first in a series of three discoveries The patterns in BEAM LINE 11BEAM LINE 11 Three days before Christmas he brought his wife into his laborato￾ry, and they emerged with a photo￾graph of the bones in her hand and of the ring on her finger. The Würzburg Physico-Medical Society was the first to hear of the new rays that could penetrate the body and photograph its bones. Roentgen delivered the news on the 28th of December 1895. Emil Warburg relayed it to the Berlin Physical Society on the 4th of Janu￾ary. The next day the Wiener Press carried the news, and the day fol￾lowing word of Roentgen’s discovery began to spread by telegraph around the world. On the 13th of January, Roentgen presented himself to the Kaiser and was awarded the Prussian Order of the Crown, Second Class. And on the 16th of January the The New-York Times announced the discovery as a new form of photography, which revealed hidden solids, penetrated wood, paper, and flesh, and exposed the bones of the human frame. “Men of science in this city are awaiting with the utmost impatience the arrival of English technical journals which will give them the full par￾ticulars of Professor Roentgen’s dis￾covery of a method of photographing opaque bodies,” The New-York Times began, and it concluded by pre￾dicting the “transformation of mod￾ern surgery by enabling the surgeon to detect the presence of foreign bodies.” (Jan. 16, 1896, p. 9) The public was enthralled by this new form of photography and curi￾ous to know the nature of the new rays. Physicians put it to immediate use. Physicists sat up and took no￾tice. The discovery of X rays was the first in a series of three discoveries that jolted the fin￾de-siècle disci￾pline out of its mood of finality, of closing down the books with ever more precise measurements, of losing itself in de￾bates over statistical mechanics, or of try￾ing to ground all physical phenomena in mathematically precise fluctuations of the ether. All three discoveries, X rays, uranium rays, and the elec￾tron, followed from one of the major experimental traditions in the second half of the nineteenth century, the study of the discharge of electricity in gases. All three contributed to a profound transfor￾mation of physics. In the 20th cen￾tury, the discipline has been ground￾ed in the study of elementary particles. As with the invention of in￾candescent light bulbs, the study of electrical dis￾charge through gases was made possible by the development of improved vacu￾um technology in the 1850s. Ear￾ly on, English scientists were investigating the patterns of light and dark that ap￾peared in sealed lead-glass tubes. The patterns in Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845–1923). (Courtesy of AIP Emilio Segré Visual Archives) Forms of tube used by Roentgen in 1895–1896 for the production of X rays. German Museum, Munich