X-Rays Glowed In The Dark
Wilhelm Roentgen was working on a cathode ray tube when he made an accidental discovery that would change the medical field forever. Even though the tube was covered, he saw a nearby screen glow when the room was dark. He tried to block the rays, but nothing worked. But when he held his hand in the way, he noticed he could see his bones in an image on the screen. He replaced the screen with a photographic plate, and thus, the first X-ray was born.
Further studies showed the rays could pass through the soft tissue of the body, but left bones and metal visible. One of his first experiments involved his wife’s hand, with her wedding ring visible in the image (APS).