How X-rays Work

                     As many humans' monumental discoveries, X-ray technology was invented totally by accident. In 1895, a German physicist called Wilhelm Roentgen made the discovery when experimenting with electron beams in a gas discharge tube. He noticed that a fluorescent screen in his lab started to glow when the electron beam was turned on. This response in itself wasn't such surprising because fluorescent material normally glows in reaction to electromagnetic radiation. But Roentgen's tube was surrounded by heavy black cardboards. Roentgen assumed that this would have blocked most of the radiation.
          Then Roentgen placed all kinds of objects between tube and screen, but the screen still glowed. Finally, he put his hand in front of the tube, and saw the silhouette of his bones projected onto the fluorescent screen. Immediately after discovering X-rays , he had discovered their most beneficial application.
  Roentgen's remarkable discovery was one of the most important medical advancements in human history. X-ray technology can help doctors see straight through human tissue to examine broken bones, cavities and swallowed objects with extraordinary ease and so on. Modified X-ray procedures can be used to examine softer tissue, such as the lungs,blood vessels or the intestines ect.
  Roentgen's discovery not only has great influence on medical diagnosis, but also influenced the appearance of many significant technology achievements in the 20th century. So in memory of  Roentgen's significant achievement, x rays were also called roentgen-rays in many countries.