Roentgen, William

Roentgen, William Konrad (1845-1923) German physicist, who made many contributions to physics, the best known being his discovery of X-rays in 1895. For this work he was awarded the first Nobel Prize for physics in 1901. 

Roentgen (R)—A unit of exposure (in air) to ionizing radiation. It is the amount of x or gamma rays required to produce ions carrying 1 electrostatic unit of electrical charge in 1 cubic centimeter of dry air under standard conditions. Named after William Roentgen, a German scientist who discovered x rays in 1895. 

They were both back in the laboratory when, in Wurtzburg, William Conrad Roentgen discovered a ray of great penetrating power. On January 4, 1896, he described these X-rays, as he called them, to the members of the Berlin Physical Society. And hardly had the news of the discovery of these X-rays,... 

Roentgenium (Rg) Named after German scientist William Roentgen, discoverer of X rays... 

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