Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen: biography, facts, video

😉 Greetings to regular readers and visitors of the site! In the article “Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen: biography, facts, video” – about the life of the famous German scientist. The first Nobel laureate in the history of physics in 1901

Who invented the X-ray

Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen was born on March 27, 1845 in Germany, near the city of Dusseldorf. He was the only child in a family that had merchant roots.

My father was a successful textile merchant. The mother was from Amsterdam. Perhaps this fact influenced the family’s move to the Netherlands in 1848. Wilhelm was sent to a private school to learn to read and write.

In 1861 he continued his studies at the Technical School of Utrecht. Two years later, he was expelled from school. For the fact that the young man refused to betray his friend, who drew an irreverent caricature of one of the teachers.

Years of study

In 1865 the young man decided to continue his studies at the university in Utrecht. But without a certificate of secondary education, he could not become a student of this educational institution. But he becomes a free listener to several courses at this university. He was soon enrolled as a student at the Zurich Polytechnic Institute.

Studying at the mechanical engineering department was very interesting for the guy. He turned out to be capable, which allowed him to complete his studies with a Ph.D.

But at the same time, the young man realizes that physics is becoming the hobby of his whole life. Therefore, he decides to go to university. Then the dissertation was successfully written and defended. This allowed him to get down to work, it was the Department of Physics, he received the position of assistant.

Career

• first there was work in Zurich, then in Giessen;
• 1871-1873 – work at the University of Würzburg;
• at the University of Strasbourg, he worked as a lecturer for five years, then received the title of professor;
• 1875 – a talented scientist in the rank of professor works in Cunningham at the Academy of Agriculture;
• 1879 – he was invited to work at the University of Giessen, here he worked at the Department of Physics. A little later Roentgen headed it;
• 1888 – was appointed head of the department of the University of Würzburg. Six years later, he became the rector of the same educational institution;
• 1900 – Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen is appointed to head the Department of Physics at the University of Munich. This place was the last in his career.

At one time, the scientist wanted to emigrate to America, where he had relatives. And the work could be considered a settled issue at Columbia University, which is located in New York. But these plans were not destined to come true, he remained to head the department in Munich.

Wilhelm Roentgen and his discovery

The scientist was fascinated by research into the piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of crystals. It was with crystals that he conducted many experiments, in particular he was interested in research on the magnetism of crystals.

Roentgen was a workaholic. One of his features was his dedication to his work. He often lingered in his laboratory in the evenings, conducting another experiment.

The main discovery of his entire life was the X-radiation, he made this discovery at the age of 50. Much later these rays were called X-rays.

In the modern world, it is difficult to imagine medicine without X-rays. They have become so commonplace that no one even thinks about how many years their discoverer spent in his laboratory to notice them.

With this discovery, a new round in the development of science took place. Thanks to X-rays, scientists were able to study the structure of substances in a new way. X-ray research influenced the discovery of radioactivity.

Also, X-ray tubes are widespread, they are also used in various fields of technology.

Representatives of industry have approached the scientist more than once, offering to file a patent for their invention. But Roentgen did not consider himself a businessman, he was fascinated only by science for the sake of science. He categorically declared: “My discovery belongs to all mankind.”

Anna Berta Ludwig

At the age of 27, Roentgen married Anna Berta Ludwig.

Their meeting took place in Zurich, during his years of study. Anna’s father was the owner of the boarding house. The spouses did not have their own children in the marriage. They adopted Anna’s niece when she was 6 years old, the girl’s name was Josephine Bertha Ludwig.

The couple lived in harmony for many years. Anna died when her husband was 74 years old. The great scientist lived the rest of his life alone. Wilhelm died of cancer on February 10, 1923. He was buried in Giessen. His zodiac sign is Aries.

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