X-rays are a form of high-energy
electromagnetic radiation, with
wavelengths shorter than those of
ultraviolet rays and longer than those of
gamma rays – roughly in the range of 0.01 to 10
nanometres. X-rays were discovered by German scientist
Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895, who named them
X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation. X-rays can penetrate many solid substances such as construction materials and living tissue, and X-ray
radiography is widely used in
medical diagnostics. This medical significance was noticed by Röntgen shortly after he discovered X-rays; this print, titled
Hand mit Ringen (Hand with Rings), is a print of his first medical X-ray, taken of his wife Anna Bertha Ludwig's hand in December 1895.
Print credit: Wilhelm Röntgen; restored by Yann Forget
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