Every year, as part of the medical examination, a huge number of people undergo a fluorography procedure. When a fracture or other bone injury is suspected, x-rays are used. These procedures have long become commonplace, although, if you think about it, they are amazing in themselves. Who was the man who immortalized his name by giving the world a powerful diagnostic tool? Where and when was Wilhelm Roentgen born?
Early years
The future scientist was born on March 17, 1845 in the city of Lennepe, on the site of the present Remscheid, in Germany. His father was a manufacturer and was engaged in the sale of clothes, dreaming of one day passing his business by inheritance to Wilhelm. Mother was from the Netherlands. Three years after the birth of their only son, the family moved to Amsterdam, where the future inventor began his studies. His first educational institution was a private institution led by Martinus von Dorn.
The father of the future scientist believed that the manufacturer needed an engineering education, and his son was not against it at all - he was interested in science. In 1861, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen moved to the Utrecht Technical School, from which he was soon expelled, refusing to issuefriend who drew a cartoon of one of the teachers when the internal investigation began.
After dropping out of school, Roentgen Wilhelm did not receive any education documents, so entering a higher educational institution was now a difficult task for him - he could only apply for the status of a volunteer. In 1865, it was with such initial data that he tried to become a student at Utrecht University, but was defeated.
Study and work
Nevertheless, perseverance served him well. A little later, he nevertheless became a student, although not in the Netherlands. In accordance with his father's wishes, he was determined to get an engineering education and became a student at the Federal Polytechnic Institute of Zurich. Throughout the years spent within its walls, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was especially passionate about physics. Gradually, he begins to conduct his own research. In 1869 he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and a Ph. D. In the end, deciding to make his hobby his favorite work, he goes to the university and defends his dissertation, after which he starts working as an assistant and begins lecturing students. Later, he moved several times from one educational institution to another, and in 1894 he became rector in Würzburg. After 6 years, Roentgen moved to Munich, where he worked until the end of his career. But before then it was still far away.
Main destinations
Like any scientist, Wilhelmworked in various scientific fields. Basically, the German physicist Roentgen was interested in some properties of crystals, studied the relationship between electrical and optical phenomena in them, and also conducted research on magnetism, on which Lorentz's electronic theory was later based. And who knew that the study of crystals would later bring him worldwide recognition and many awards?
Private life
While still at the University of Zurich, Wilhelm Roentgen (1845-1923) met his future wife, Anna Bertha Ludwig. She was the daughter of the owner of a boarding school at the institute, so they had to collide quite often in their time. In 1872 they got married. The couple were very affectionate towards each other and wanted children. However, Anna could not get pregnant, and then they adopted an orphaned six-year-old girl, Frau Bertha's niece.
Of course, understanding the importance of her husband's work, the wife at the final stages of research tried to make sure that he ate and rested on time, while the scientist devoted himself entirely to work, forgetting about his own needs. This patience and work were rewarded in full - it was the wife who served as a kind of model for demonstrating the discovery: the image of her hand with a ring circled the whole world.
In 1919, when his beloved wife passed away and his adopted daughter got married, Wilhelm was already 74 years old. Despite the world fame, he felt terribly lonely,the attention of outsiders even bothered him. In addition, he was in great need, having transferred all the funds to the government during the First World War. After the death of his wife, he himself lived quite a short time, dying in early 1923 from cancer - the result of constant interaction with the rays discovered by him.
X-ray
Wilhelm, by and large, did not particularly try to make a career. He was already 50 years old, and there were still no great achievements, but it seems that he was not at all interested in it - he just liked to move science forward, pushing the boundaries of what he studied. He stayed up late in the laboratory, endlessly conducting experiments and analyzing their results. The autumn evening of 1895 was no exception. As he was leaving and having already turned off the light, he noticed some kind of spot on the cathode tube. Deciding that he simply forgot to turn it off, the scientist turned the switch. The mysterious spot immediately disappeared, but the researcher was very interested. He repeated this experience several times, coming to the conclusion that the mysterious radiation was to blame.
Obviously, he felt that he was on the verge of a great discovery, because even to his wife, with whom he usually talked about work, he did not say anything. The next two months were devoted entirely to understanding the properties of the mysterious rays. Between the cathode tube and the screen, Roentgen Wilhelm placed various objects, analyzing the results. Paper and wood completely transmitted radiation, while metal and some other materials cast shadows, and their intensity depended, among other things, on the density of the substance.
Properties
Further research yielded very interesting results. First, it turned out that lead completely absorbs this radiation. Secondly, by placing his hand between the tube and the screen, the scientist obtained an image of the bones inside it. And thirdly, the rays illuminated the film, so that the results of each study could well be documented, which was what Wilhelm Roentgen did, whose discoveries still needed proper registration before they could be presented to the public.
Three years after the first experiments, the German physicist published an article in a scientific journal, to which he attached an image that clearly demonstrates the penetrating power of rays, and described the properties he had already studied. Immediately after that, dozens of scientists confirmed this by conducting experiments on their own. In addition, some researchers have stated that they encountered this radiation, but did not attach importance to it. Now they bit their elbows and scolded themselves for their inattention, envying, as it seemed to them, just a more successful colleague named Wilhelm Roentgen.
Interesting facts about the discovery
Immediately after the publication of the article, a huge number of clever businessmen appeared who claimed that with the help of X-radiation it is possible to look into the human soul. More mundane advertised devices that allegedly allow you to see through clothes. For example, in the United States, Edison was commissioned to develop theater binoculars using radiation. And although the idea failed, it caused quite a stir. And the merchants who sold clothes advertised their products, claiming that their product was nottransmits rays, and women can feel safe, which significantly increased sales. All this terribly bothered the scientist, who simply wanted to continue his scientific research.
Application
When Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays and showed what they are capable of, it literally blew up society. Until that moment, it was impossible to look inside a living person, to see his tissues, without cutting or damaging them. And X-rays showed what the human skeleton looks like in combination with other systems. Medicine became the first and main area where open rays were applied. With their help, it has become much easier for doctors to diagnose any problems of the musculoskeletal system, as well as assess the severity of injuries. Later, X-rays were also used to treat certain diseases.
In addition, these rays are used to detect defects in metal products, and they can also be used to identify the chemical composition of certain materials. Art history also uses X-rays to see what is hidden under the top layers of paint.
Recognition
The discovery caused a real stir, which was completely incomprehensible to the scientist. Instead of continuing research, Roentgen Wilhelm was forced to consider and reject endless proposals from German and American businessmen who asked him to design various devices based on X-rays. Journaliststhey also kept the scientist from working, constantly scheduling meetings and interviews, and each of them asked why Roentgen did not want to get a patent for his discovery. He replied to each of them that he considered the rays to be the property of all mankind and did not feel en titled to limit its use for good purposes.
Awards
Wilhelm Roentgen was characterized by natural modesty and lack of desire for fame. He refused the title of nobility, to which he received the right after being awarded the order. And in 1901 he became the first Nobel Prize winner in physics. Despite the fact that this was the highest level of recognition, the researcher did not attend the ceremony, although he accepted the award. He later gave the money to the government. He was also awarded the Helmholtz medal in 1918.
Heritage and memory
All from the same modesty Roentgen Wilhelm called his discovery very simply - X-radiation. This name stuck, but the student of the researcher, the Russian physicist Abram Ioffe, eventually introduced a concept that perpetuated the name of the scientist. The term "X-rays" in foreign speech is used relatively rarely, but still occurs.
In 1964, one of the craters on the far side of the moon was named after him. One of the units of measurement of ionizing cure is also named after him. Many cities have streets named after him, as well as monuments. There is even a whole museum located in the house where Roentgen lived as a child. The biography of this person may not be replete with interesting details, butillustrates that it is possible to achieve high results through diligence and perseverance, as well as attentiveness.
