8. X-Rays
In 1895, while experimenting with cathode rays in his laboratory at the University of Würzburg, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen noticed that a fluorescent screen in his lab began to glow, even though it was shielded by heavy black paper. Curious, he investigated further and discovered that the cathode rays were producing a new form of radiation that could pass through various materials, including human tissue, but not bones or metals. He named this phenomenon “X-rays” to denote their unknown nature. Röntgen’s accidental discovery revolutionized medicine by providing a non-invasive method to view the interior of the human body, leading to the development of diagnostic imaging techniques (history.com).
