Top 15 Fun Facts about Wilhelm Rontgen

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. Photo by Nobel Foundation. Wikimedia Commons

Top 15 Fun Facts about Wilhelm Rontgen

*Originally published by Kilonzo on July 29th 2022 and Updated by Vanessa R on June 2023

Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen was a German mechanical engineer and physicist born on 27th March 1845 in Lennep, Remscheid, Germany.

He is considered the father of X-Rays and diagnostic radiology because he was the first person to systematically produce and detect electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range.

His discovery was a significant evolution in the fields of physics and medicine where physics concepts and procedures are used in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

This great achievement granted Wilhelm a Nobel Prize in 1901 and honorary doctorates in the field of medicine.

In addition, he has also been awarded the Rumford Medal in 1896, the Matteucci Medal in 1896, and the Elliott Cresson Medal in 1897.

Here are 15 fun facts about Wilhelm Rontgen:

1. He was the first individual to win a Nobel Prize in physics

Alfred Nobel Medal 1975 by Richard Renninger. Photo by Berlin-George. Wikimedia Commons.

The Nobel Prize is worldly recognized as an honorary medal awarded to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.

It was created by Alfred Nobel who was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist in 1895. He is known for the invention of dynamite and separated the Nobel prizes into five categories.

The fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. In addition, the Prizes are not awarded posthumously, if a person is awarded a prize and dies before receiving it, the prize is presented.

Wilhelm Rontgen was the first individual to attain this award in physics since the prizes started to be awarded six years after its creation.

 2. A radioactive element was named after him

Wilhelm’s accomplishments gained him medals and doctorates. One more accomplishment was in 2004 when the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry named an element after him in his honor.

The element which is radioactive with multiple unstable isotopes which were not found in nature was first created in 1994 by the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research near Darmstadt, Germany.

The element is a d-block trans-actinide that is a member of the 7th period placed in the group 11 elements.

The chemical element is called Roentgenium symbolized as Rg and has the atomic number 111.

3. A unit of measure was also named after him

Potrait of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. Photo by Nicola Perscheid. Wikimedia Commons

In Wilhelm’s honor, a unit of measure was named after him. The measure is called röntgen which is a legacy unit of measurement for the exposure of X-rays and gamma rays.

It was first adopted in 1928 as an international quantity of measure for ionizing radiation.

It is equated to the electric charge freed by radiation a specified volume of air divided by the mass of that air.

It was defined for radiation protection as it was the easiest replicated method of measuring air ionization by using ion chambers but later development research was undertaken energy absorption was another factor to consider.

As this measure deals with radiation it was named after Wilhelm as he was the discoverer of X-Rays in tribute to his work.

4. He was unfairly expelled from high school

Rontgen was born in Lennep, Remscheid to Friedrich Conrad Röntgen who was a German merchant and cloth manufacturer, and his wife Charlotte Constanze Frowein.

The family moved to Holland when he was three and he attended high school at Utrecht Technical School in Utrecht, Netherlands.

He had only studied for almost two years before he was expelled in 1865. One of his teachers had intercepted a burlesque that was drawn by someone else and Rontgen was blamed unfairly.

He could not attend any University in the Netherlands as a visitor without a high school diploma so he applied and passed the entrance exam at Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich.

He began studying mechanical engineering and graduated in 1869 with a Ph.D. from the University of Zurich

5. He took the first radiograph of his wife’s hand

X-ray of Albert von Kölliker’s hand. Photo created by Old Moonraker. Wikimedia Commons

Wilhelm’s first groundbreaking discovery commenced when he took the first clear medical radiograph from his wife’s hand.

He initially took the first image of his hand that was flickering ghostly on the barium platinocyanide screen.

This unclear image made him worry about his professional reputation if his observations were in error.

He then continued his experiments in secrecy which is why his wife Anna Bertha was the first person he took a radiograph.

Her first reaction when she saw her skeleton was that she had seen her death.

In the second picture, he took was a better radiograph of his friend Albert von Kölliker’s hand at a public lecture.

6.  He worked as a professor in various institutes

Rontgen initially became a lecturer in 1874 at the University of Strasbourg in Alsace, France.

In 1875 he became a professor at the Academy of Agriculture at Hohenheim, Württemberg, and returned to France in 1876 to Strasbourg as a professor of physics.

In 1879 he was appointed the chair of physics at the University of Giessen and in 1888 he obtained the physics chair at the University of Würzburg where he worked on his thesis and investigation of X-Rays.

In 1900 at the special request of the Bavarian government, he became the physics chair at the University of Munich.

7. Wilhelm received the Rumford Medal of the British Royal Society 

The British Royal Society Formally the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge is located at the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences.

It is a learned society that was founded on the 28th of November 1660 that promotes, recognizes, and supports science and its benefits providing scientific advice for policy, and fostering international and global cooperation.

The society that was granted a royal charter by King Charles II awards the Rumford Medal which rewards outstandingly important recent discoveries in the field of thermal or optical properties of matter made by a scientist working in Europe.

Wilhelm was awarded this medal in 1896, jointly with Philipp Lenard, who had already shown that a portion of the cathode rays could pass through a thin film of a metal such as aluminium.

8. He spent a couple of weeks eating and sleeping in his laboratory investigating his theory

Bust of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. Photo by me. Wikimedia Commons.

While Rontgen was working as a physics chair at the University of Würzburg’s laboratory.

In 1895 when he began investigating the external effects of the various types of vacuum tube equipment apparatuses when an electrical discharge is passed through them.

He began investigating with Crookes–Hittorf tube which had a much thicker glass wall than the Lenard tube he was previously working with which might cause a fluorescent effect.

Röntgen discovered a faint shimmering from a bench a few feet away from the tube he tried several more discharges and saw the same shimmering each time.

After striking a match, he noticed the shimmering had come from the location of the barium platinocyanide screen he had intended to use next.

In the late afternoon of 8 November 1895, he started working on this experiment eating and sleeping in his laboratory for the next few weeks.

9. His wife was six years older than him

Rontgen and his wife Anna Bertha Ludwig were married for 47 years until her death at age 80 in 1919.

They had met in Zurich at her father’s café Zum Grünen Glas. They got engaged in 1869 and wed four years later.

The delay was because Wilhelm’s father disapproved of her age since she was six years his senior and from a humble background.

They wed finally but with financial difficulties as family support from Rontgen had ceased. They also raised one child they adopted at age six, Anna’s deceased brother who died in 1887.

10. He died from carcinoma of the intestine

 Röntgen died on the 10th of February 1923. He had suffered from Carcinoma which is a form of intestinal cancer also known as colorectal cancer.

Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells.

It is a form of cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the ectodermal germ layer during embryogenesis.

It occurs when the DNA of a cell is damaged or altered and the cell begins to grow uncontrollably and become malignant.

11. His X-rays didn’t just help with medicine but were also used to locate bullets

The practical uses of Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays went beyond medicine. These invisible rays were used in a number of industries. X-rays were used in World War I to find bullets and fractures in soldiers, which helped with their medical care.

In addition, businesses started using X-rays to inspect materials and find product structure faults as part of quality control procedures. The ability to find hidden things in luggage and packages made X-ray technology useful for security screening as well.

12. Initially Röntgen’s discovery was met with skepticism

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When Röntgen initially discovered X-rays, there was some disbelief. Many scientists had doubts about the presence and properties of these mysterious rays when he first revealed his results. They found it hard to understand how invisible rays could get through solid objects and create images.

But, as more and more of Röntgen’s tests and supporting data came to light, the scientific world started to accept the validity of X-rays. The validity of Röntgen’s discovery was later validated by more study and demonstrations, which finally led to the broad acceptance and use of X-ray technology in a variety of sectors.

13. His wife Anna worked as his assistant 

Bertha Wegmann, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wilhelm Röntgen’s wife Anna Bertha worked with him as an assistant, which was crucial to his study. She helped him with his experiments and observations as part of her active support of his scientific efforts. Wilhelm’s discovery of X-rays made Anna’s involvement particularly notable. 

14. He was an art fanatic

Art and antique collecting were two of Wilhelm Röntgen’s great loves. He had a deep appreciation for the beauty and artistry seen in various art forms in addition to his scientific projects. Clocks, scientific equipment, and rare books were among the many items that Röntgen collected.

passion for art led him to begin collecting Japanese woodblock prints, which were very fashionable at the time. In addition to giving Röntgen a creative outlet, his interest in painting revealed the variety of his interests outside of science.

15. He loved nature

Wilhelm Röntgen had a deep affection for nature in addition to his love of the arts. He felt comfort in being outside, and he really enjoyed hiking and discovering the natural world. In nature, Röntgen frequently looked for inspiration and peace, which aided him in keeping a balanced viewpoint and fostering his scientific curiosity.