Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen: Researcher and Man

Abstract

Everyone knows about the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen. On November 8, 1895, history was made at the Institute of Physics at the University of Wurzburg. However, uniquely, Rontgen also contributed to the change in which we view the traditional world through his meticulous research [1]. Endowed with a certain Protestant civic pride and a scepticism towards social conventions, his great determination, his deep interest in the investigation of natural phenomena, his tenacity and also his talent all led him to his goal. The discovery and early exploration of the new rays were ultimately the result of meticulous research work. However, Rontgen himself was no longer involved in the almost heated discussion that followed about the nature of his rays and the immediately impetuous and rapid development of their applications, which were, as it were, the expression of a radical change in science and society [2]. After only 15 months of intensive research, he turned again to other fields of physical research.