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"...it's
unearthly, it's downright mystical."1 ~Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen
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The x-ray of Mrs. Roentgen's hand that began the world-wide "x-ray craze". (Note the ring on the fourth finger) Copyright Radiology Centennial Inc.2 |
| After a month of experimentation,
Professor Wilhelm Roentgen was ready to show his new discovery to the
world. In the middle of the night in December of 1895, he brought
his wife to his laboratory to show her exactly what had occupied his time
for the past few weeks. Mrs. Roentgen placed her hand upon a photographic
plate and waited while her husband turned on a machine aimed directly at
her hand. Several minutes later, Professor Roentgen developed the
plate and showed her the result (above). She exclaimed, "Oh my God...It
makes me somehow feel that I'm looking at my own death!"3
Her reaction was a common one as the news of the revolutionary X-Ray spread across the world. Fear and panic gripped many; however, curiosity and excitement also filled the air. This new discovery had unlimited potential in both the medical and entertainment community, changing almost every aspect of society it touched. This website explores the many aspects of the X-Ray, from its origins to its current uses and reincarnations, along with the many lives, ideas, and practices it helped inspire. Welcome to the truly extraordinary story of the X-Ray! |
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X-Ray Fun Fact #1
The image of leaves in the design at
the top of the page was created through the use of X-Ray photography,
where the photographer, Steven Meyers,
creates negative, positive, and solarized images of his subjects with
the aid of an X-Ray machine.
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This site was created by Amy Miller for Dr.
Jeffrey McClurken's History of American Technology & Culture
class at Mary Washington College. Questions/Comments: amill4gn@umw.edu Updated: 4/14//2003 |