Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen: A Shining Life for Science

It was one of the great moments of humanity when Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845- 1923) discovered a new kind of radiation on 8 November 1895. He himself modestly called them ＂X-rays＂. Röntgen’s name and his rays became world famous. On 10 December 1901, Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics. X-rays have lost none of their appeal since then. They still permeate all areas of science, technology and medicine and accompany us in our everyday lives.

However, Röntgen’s scientific work cannot be reduced to this one great discovery alone. He was an excellent natural scientist, and his spirit of research is still an example for many scientists today. Röntgen’s very special interest in precision physics is also more topical than ever.

This carefully curated volume offers a multifaceted view of an outstanding natural scientist and provides insights into his personal legacy.

The editor Uwe Busch is a medical physicist and director of the German Röntgen Museum (Deutsches Röntgen-Museum). Together with the newly designed birthplace of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, both museums offer a captivating insight into Röntgen’s life and work as well as the experience of discovering the fascinating world of X-rays. A world that spans many spatial and temporal dimensions, from the nanoworlds of the microcosm to the infinite expanses of the cosmos and from the past to the future. All the world is full of X-rays. Making good use of Röntgen’s discovery is and remains the goal of science today and tomorrow.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen would have had fun doing just that: committing to research to broaden one’s horizons, finding profound joy in gaining knowledge and discovering the wonders of natural science for the benefit of humankind.