Wilhelm Röntgen

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (27 March 1845 – 10 February 1923) was a German experimental physicist who produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays (known as Röntgen rays in many languages). In 1901, Röntgen became the first recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him." The element roentgenium is named in his honor.

Biography

Early life and education

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was born on 27 March 1845 in Lennep (now part of Remscheid), Prussia, the only child of Friedrich Conrad Röntgen, a merchant and cloth manufacturer, and Charlotte Constanze Frowein. In 1848, he moved with his parents to the Netherlands—where his mother's family lived—rendering him stateless.

In 1862, Röntgen enrolled at Utrecht Technical School, where he followed courses for almost two years. In 1865, he was unfairly expelled from the Technical School when he was falsely accused of drawing a caricature of one of the teachers, which was actually drawn by someone else.

Without a high school diploma, Röntgen could only attend university in the Netherlands as a visitor. In 1865, he tried to attend Utrecht University without having the necessary credentials required for a regular student. He then moved to Switzerland and passed the entrance examination of the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich (now ETH Zurich), where he became a mechanical engineering student. In 1869, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich.