November 8,1895
Dear Diary,
Today, I found something interesting in my lab. I was experimenting with cathode rays with a fluorescent screen painted with barium platinocyanide and a Crookes tube, which I wrapped in black cardboard so the visible light from the tube wouldn’t interfere. Then I noticed a faint green glow from the screen, about one meter away. The invisible rays coming from the tube to make the screen glow were passing through the cardboard. I also found out that it could pass through books and papers on my desk.
Upon this investigation, I found that the fluorescence was caused by unknown rays originating from the spot where cathode rays hit the glass wall of the vacuum tube. I called it X-Rays.
December 22, 1895
Dear Diary,
I have discovered the medical use of X-rays. I was continuing the discovery of the X-rays. I asked my wife to put her hand on a lightproof cassette containing a photographic plate. Then it made an exposure using the new rays that I discovered. The result was fascinating; the bones of my wife’s fingers were clearly seen together with the wedding ring she was wearing. That radioactive photograph is the first x-ray photograph of a part of the human body.
December 28, 1895
Dear Diary,
After I discovered the medical use of X-rays, I published my work and titled it in a short manuscript called “A New Kind of Rays”. Later on, it was also published in the 1895 volume of the Annals of Würzburg Physical Medical Society (Proceedings of the Physical-Medical Society of Würzburg). I demonstrated how I created this new type of ray and called them X-rays to distinguish them from other types of rays. I also demonstrated how almost all materials were transparent to X-rays, although to different degrees. I listed different substances that fluoresce when exposed to X-rays. I showed that X-rays traveled in straight lines, were not reflected or refracted, and that the intensity of X-rays varied inversely with the distance from their source. Then I sent copies of my original article and examples of x-ray pictures to a number of well-known scientific colleagues in several countries.
January 24, 1896
Dear Diary,
Yesterday, I gave my first and only lecture on the subject of the discovery of X-rays at a meeting of the Würzburg Physical Medical Society. Before an enthusiastic audience, I presented the results of my experiments and gave a demonstration of the new rays by producing a radiograph “live” of the hand of Germany’s famous anatomist, Professor Albert von Kölliker. At the end of my lecture, Professor Albert von Kölliker suggested that the new rays be named “Röntgen’s rays”. That was unanimously approved by the distinguished audience. Following my discovery of X-rays, Röntgen received numerous decorations and honours from all over the world.
About the Author
Hi, my name is Derek Linesis, and I live in the Philippines. Since the pandemic started, I have been writing and sharing narratives, poems, and stories. Gaming is my hobby because it’s fun. I also enjoy baking cookies, which are my favorite snack. Every Saturday, I post gameplay and insane fights on YouTube.