During the cold winter of 1895, a German scientist named Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was working with a cathode ray tube when he noticed nearby crystals glowing. When Roentgen took the crystals he was amazed when the shadow cast on the crystal was not that of his entire hand, but only of his bones. Roentgen covered the tube with heavy black paper and saw that the crystals still glowed and the shadow of the hand bones could still be seen, so he determined that a new beam capable of penetrating through thick materials was being emitted. (1.) He later discovered that the rays could pass through almost anything, but cast a shadow of solid objects; these shadows could then be captured on film. Among the solid objects imaged by Roentgen with these rays was human tissue, the rays penetrated the tissue, but the bones cast a shadow, which could then be captured on film. One of Roentgen's first experiments with X-rays was on his wife's hand where, on film, the bones of the hand and the wedding ring could be seen. (1.) Although the discovery of X-rays represented a huge advance in medical technology, they were not initially used in the medical field. Instead, the mystical invisible rays that could penetrate solid objects were used in the industrial field. However, once the public became aware of these magical rays, the popularity of X-rays skyrocketed. Within 6 months of announcing the discovery of X-rays, the United States and Europe had built many medical X-ray machines to aid in surgery, and even battlefield X-ray machines, where doctors in the field they would use the rays to locate bullets in the bodies of wounded soldiers. (1.) Although X-rays gained popularity in the minds of people around the world, they did not sell well. Before… the middle of the article… its discovery, we may never have been able to advance the medical field as much as we have been able to in the time since its discovery. It is truly one of the most important discoveries in the entire existence of humanity. I think almost everyone will benefit from it at some point in their life. Works Cited (1.) "History of Radiography." NDT Resource Center. NP, ND Web. 17 December 2013. .(2.) Loom, Paolo. “Coolidge X-ray tubes.” orau.com. Oak Ridge Associated Universities, June 24, 2009. Web. December 17, 2013. .(3.) Sobel, Racheal K. “Inner Space: The Spinal Frontier.” usnews.com. NP, 2001. Web. 17 December. 2013. .