Who invented the X-ray machine?

The X-ray machine was invented by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895.

Key Facts:

Discovery Date: November 8, 1895

Inventor: Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German physicist

How It Happened: While experimenting with cathode rays (in a vacuum tube), Roentgen noticed that a fluorescent screen in his lab started to glow, even though it wasn’t in the path of the rays. He realized a new type of ray was responsible—he called it X-rays (with "X" meaning "unknown").

First X-ray Image: The first X-ray photograph was of his wife's hand, showing her bones and wedding ring.

Impact: This discovery revolutionized medicine by allowing doctors to see inside the human body without surgery.

Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for this groundbreaking discovery.